What is a recommended response if you notice a child attempting to cross behind the bus?

• A. Stop, turn to provide guidance and direct the child to cross in front of the bus with you, and use the stop arm if necessary.
• B. Ignore and drive away.
• C. Shout from inside the bus only.
• D. Push child to cross behind bus to ensure safety.

Answer: (A)

Focus on keeping children out of the bus’s blind spots and guiding them to safety. When you notice a child trying to cross behind the bus, the safest action is to stop and turn toward the child, clearly directing them to cross in front of the bus with you. This positioning keeps you in the child’s line of sight and ensures you can guide them away from the rear of the bus, where they’re less visible to you and other drivers. If the stop arm and flashing lights are in use, extend them to stop traffic and create a protected crossing path, reinforcing that crossing behind the bus is not safe.

This approach directly reduces risk by making the crossing visible to you and to oncoming traffic, while using the bus’s safety features to create a controlled crossing area. Ignoring the situation, shouting from inside the bus, or pushing the child to cross behind the bus all fail to address the real danger of blind spots and can put the student in harm’s way.