National School Bus Safety Week is October 19-23, 2026. The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is urging drivers to slow down around school buses and stop when the school bus stop-arms are out and the red lights are flashing.

School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation. However, injuries and fatalities do occur outside of or near the buses. This is often caused by a motorist who has failed to slow down and obey the bus's stop sign, or to follow local traffic laws, stopping is the law whether approaching from the front or rear of the school bus. Nationally, school bus passing is illegal, and it poses a deadly risk to bus riders, child pedestrians, and their caregivers. Drivers should always come to a complete stop when a school bus stop-arm is extended and the red lights are flashing.

Respect the Danger Zone

The school bus loading and unloading area is called the "Danger Zone." Specifically, this is any side of the bus where the bus driver can't see the child and, therefore, the child is in the most danger while crossing the street. These areas include:

• 10 feet in front of the bus, where the driver may be sitting too high to see a child

• 10 feet on either side of the bus, where a child may be in the driver's blind spot

• Behind the school bus

This is why all lanes should stop for school buses. For more information about school bus safety, please visit NHTSA.GOV