School bus safety programs: Protecting students with connected fleet technology

Every day, parents and schools place their trust in the safety of the school bus. The safety of all those students is a responsibility shared by families, educators and communities.

That responsibility is the focus of National School Bus Safety Week, an annual campaign during the third full week of October that highlights the progress made and the work still left to do in school bus safety programs. While school buses remain one of the safest vehicles on the road – less than 0.5% of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transportation vehicles – there are still risks that exist beyond the bus itself.

While children inside the bus are relatively protected, the greater risks often lie outside, in the moments when students are crossing streets, waiting at stops or navigating busy traffic environments. 

True school bus safety programs today require a multi-dimensional approach: advanced technology, training and monitoring to improve driver behavior, stronger community awareness, near-real time communication.

Let's delve into crucial school bus safety issues and how technology can support your school bus fleet’s safety efforts.

The unseen vulnerability: protecting children outside the bus

From 2014 to 2023, school-transportation-related traffic crashes claimed the lives of 209 school-age children. Just 38 were bus occupants, while a full 171 were outside the bus — including those in other vehicles, pedestrians and pedalcyclists.¹

These figures highlight a critical reality in building effective school bus safety programs: The most significant risks often occur when students are outside the bus, crossing streets, boarding or exiting or traveling alongside traffic. Contributing factors like distracted driving, whether by bus drivers or other motorists, only add to the danger.²

That’s why effective school bus safety programs’ first line of defense is bus driver awareness and behavior. Training and technology can help reinforce safe driving habits and vigilance and keep everyone from the superintendent to students informed as students complete their daily bus journeys.

There’s so much more to school bus safety. Explore how technology builds safer, smarter fleets.

The tech-driven driver: Enhancing behavior and awareness

As the individuals entrusted with transporting precious cargo, drivers play a pivotal role in addressing the well-being of students - and technology is essential in supporting them. Fleet management tools that once provided simple visibility now deliver data-backed insights, near-real time alerts and personalized coaching to help drivers make safer choices on the road and keep school bus safety programs functioning at the highest levels.

Integrated video and AI dashcams

Cameras that extend drivers’ visibility and AI-powered dashcams have evolved into powerful safety tools, helping drivers stay alert and managers better understand on-road behavior. Video supports:

• Near-real time alerts for hard braking, acceleration, cornering and sudden force to reinforce safe driving habits
• Real-time, in-cab audio alerts for tailgating, pedestrians, distracted driving, tiredness and phone calls to help keep drivers focused.
• Extended view cameras that give drivers greater visibility outside the bus, helping spot external hazards such as a child stepping too close.
• Clear, unbiased video evidence categorized by AI analytics that helps drivers better understand their own behavior and managers identify trends

Advanced telematics and school bus tracking

Telematics data improves visibility into how, when and where buses operate, offering fleet managers and district leaders better oversight. Telematics can:

• Monitor route adherence and detect unauthorized deviations or stops with detailed maps, visible on multiple devices
• Create geofencing for school zones and other key areas to aid in on-time arrival and departure
• Support fast response when a bus is delayed, makes an unauthorized stop or experiences an emergency

Evidence-based coaching with fleet data

Data collected from dashcams and telematics systems provides the foundation for critical ongoing driver development. Through effective coaching, drivers can enhance their skills, sharpen their decision-making abilities and develop a deep understanding of safety protocols. Fleet management can help coaching by:

• Delivering personalized coaching that moves beyond reactive to proactive intervention based on detailed driving patterns.
• Providing visual evidence for constructive feedback, so drivers can see neutral, specific instances for improvement
• Track driver behavior over time so managers can use data to inform driver scoring that encourages and rewards positive driver habits

School transportation leaders that want to take it a step further can even investigate  training simulations with augmented reality providers that immerse drivers in “what if” situations like a child running into the streets, so they can practice smart, safe responses without any real-world risk.

Empowering parents: Real-time transparency and peace of mind

Parents want reassurance that their children are safe and where they’re supposed to be. Today’s tools offer school bus tracking, but some go a step beyond delivering dots on a map. Innovative technologies can help support school bus safety, security and peace of mind for parents and school officials.

Next-generation parent mobile apps like Edulog 2.0 use integrated data with Verizon Connect Reveal to monitor school buses to help keep students safe.

• Predictive arrival times and real-time updates: Edulog 2.0 factors in live traffic conditions to provide more accurate arrival times, advanced alerts when the bus is nearing a stop, notifications for delays and route changes and two-way messaging for communication between families and schools.
• “Know before they go” preemptive alerts and educational resources: Parents receive automatic notifications about potential hazards on the route, such as construction or road closures, along with in-app safety tips that teach children how to behave safely around the bus and while riding the bus.
• Student tracking: Optional, highly secure, consent-based student tracking systems, such as RFID-enabled ID cards, can provide immediate confirmation of a student’s location in an emergency. Adoption requires strict privacy protocols to ensure sensitive information is protected.

Fostering school bus safety culture: A year-round commitment 

Technology is essential, but long-term safety depends on building a culture that supports and rewards the right behaviors across schools, drivers and communities.

• Recruitment and retention: Advanced technology helps reduce stress for bus drivers by monitoring key safety factors automatically. Performance-based bonuses and recognition programs backed by telematics data make the job more appealing and help districts keep top talent.
• Community engagement and awareness: Dashcam footage can support law enforcement in addressing “stop arm” violations,³ while districts run public awareness campaigns reminding motorists about school bus safety laws. At the same time, schools are integrating pedestrian and cycling safety programs into classrooms to reinforce safe practices for students.
• Continuous improvement: Regularly reviewing safety data and adapting policies helps districts stay ahead of emerging risks. By analyzing evolving traffic patterns and adopting new technologies early, schools can strengthen safety measures year after year.

The future of school bus safety is collaborative

School buses remain one of the safest modes of transportation for children, but safety doesn’t end once students step off the bus. Protecting children on their daily journeys to and from school requires the combined efforts of drivers, parents, schools and communities.

With school bus fleet management solutions that help monitor driver behavior, identify risks and improve overall safety, district leaders can take a proactive approach to keeping students safe inside and outside the bus. True school bus safety is no longer just about the vehicle – it’s about the ecosystem that surrounds it.

By working together and leveraging data-driven tools like Verizon Connect Reveal and Edulog 2.0, schools can make every ride safer, smarter and more reliable – not just during School Bus Safety Week, but throughout the entire year.

Ready to make every ride safer? Request a demo to see how our platform can strengthen your school bus safety programs, while protecting your district’s bottom line.

¹ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, School-Transportation-Related Traffic Crashes, 2023.

² National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Distracted Driving: Countermeasures That Work, 2022.

³ National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses Guide