Decide Smart, Arrive Safe: Enhancing School Bus Driver Safety at Railroad Crossings

Every school day, 480,000 school buses traverse the nation’s roads, carrying millions of students to and from school. With approximately 140,000 miles of railroad tracks and over 200,000 highway-railroad grade crossings in the US, school bus drivers face a unique challenge in ensuring the safety of their passengers when navigating these crossings. To address this, Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to rail safety education, has launched a new video training tool, Decide Smart, Arrive Safe, aimed at helping school bus drivers make informed and safe decisions near railroad tracks.

Rachel Maleh, OLI Executive Director, emphasizes the importance of this new resource: “Our Decide Smart, Arrive Safe video training package enhances OLI’s free instruction for school bus drivers, providing vital safety information for these transportation professionals. School bus drivers who view Decide Smart, Arrive Safe gain practical tips and information they can use immediately. We want all school districts and bus drivers to know about this free rail safety education tool. While crossing incidents involving school buses are infrequent, this new resource can help stop track tragedies and save lives.”

The Decide Smart, Arrive Safe training is composed of four engaging videos, each designed to provide clear and actionable safety procedures for school bus drivers:

1. Know the Signs and Signals: This video reviews important signs and signals around railroad crossings that school bus drivers may encounter and explains their meanings.
2. Know the Facts: It shares crucial train safety facts that drivers must keep themselves and their passengers safe around railroad crossings.
3. In Their Own Words: This video shows safe railroad crossing procedures on board a school bus. Veteran school bus drivers share real-life experiences and safety tips.
4. 5 Alive!: This segment outlines the five essential steps school bus drivers should follow to ensure safe crossings every time.

These videos can be viewed together or individually, depending on the training needs, making them flexible for any training situation. Additionally, the training package includes a facilitation guide for school bus driver trainers, a student guide for school bus driver trainees, and a post-training quiz to reinforce learning. Thanks to a grant from the Federal Railroad Administration, all these materials are free on the OLI website.

Beyond the Decide Smart, Arrive Safe training, OLI offers a variety of other safety resources for school bus drivers, including brochures, posters, and additional videos. Operation Lifesaver Authorized Volunteers (OLAVs) provide free rail safety presentations to various audiences across the U.S., including school bus drivers, teachers, and K-12 students. These presentations are valuable for reinforcing safe behaviors near tracks and trains.

Operation Lifesaver, Inc., is committed to stopping track tragedies through public awareness and education campaigns. With support from 47 state programs and the District of Columbia, OLI spreads the rail safety message nationwide. Visit oli.org to explore OLI’s extensive library of rail safety materials, request a free presentation, or learn how to volunteer.

For school bus drivers, Decide Smart, Arrive Safe is more than just a training tool; it’s a lifeline that can help prevent accidents and save lives.