The overhead inside rearview mirror in a school bus is used to monitor passenger activity inside the bus.

While students are boarding a school bus, the driver should supervise the loading while watching all mirrors for any students running to catch the bus.

There are blind spots immediately below and in front of each outside flat mirror. These mirrors have another blind spot directly behind the rear bumper.

Properly adjusted flat mirrors on a school bus should allow the driver to see 200 feet behind the bus, the base of each rear wheel, and the sides of the bus.

A school bus driver does not have the authority to change the location of a school bus stop. Only appropriate school district officials can determine the locations of bus stops.

If you are stopped at a railroad crossing and a gate fails to return to its open position after a train passes, call your dispatcher. Do not attempt to drive around the lowered gate.

If you must back up a school bus at a student pick-up point, do not put the bus in reverse until all students have boarded. Watch for late-comers at all times.

All mirrors on a school bus should be checked and adjusted before beginning a trip. Proper mirror adjustment is vital to the safety of all students and surrounding vehicles.

More students are killed each year during loading or unloading of school buses than while riding on school buses. Therefore, it is critical that school bus drivers follow appropriate safety procedures during loading and unloading.

If a student tries to retrieve a dropped object, they may disappear from the driver's line of sight. This is potentially very dangerous. Rather than retrieve dropped items themselves, students should move to a point of safety outside of the bus's danger zones, get the driver's attention, and wait for the driver to retrieve what has been dropped.

After evacuating a school bus, students should be led to a safe place at least 100 feet away from the road in the direction of oncoming traffic. This will keep them safe from flying debris if another vehicle hits the bus. Students should be upwind of any fires and as far away from railroad tracks as possible.

While students are boarding a school bus, if the driver cannot account for a student outside, they should secure the bus, take the key with them, and check around and underneath the bus for the missing student.

Properly adjusted flat mirrors on a school bus should allow the driver to see 200 feet behind the bus, the base of each rear wheel, and the sides of the bus.

While all sides of a school bus have danger zones, the left side is particularly hazardous to students due to the presence of passing vehicles.

If a school bus becomes stalled or trapped on railroad tracks, the driver should get everyone out of the bus and off of the tracks immediately. The driver and students should move away from the tracks at an angle and in the direction of any oncoming train.

When unloading students at a school, a bus driver must secure the bus by turning off the engine. If they must leave the driver's compartment, they should remove the key from the ignition. The driver must supervise the unloading process.

A school bus driver should load and unload students only at designated stops that have been approved by appropriate school district officials.

Railroad crossings with control devices to regulate traffic are known as active crossings. Control devices may include regulators such as flashing red lights, warning bells, and gates. Drivers are required by law to follow instructions given by control devices.

In most emergency or crisis situations, students on a school bus will be safer and more easily controlled if they are kept on the bus than if they are evacuated. However, if staying on a bus will expose the students to risk or injury, the bus driver should escort them to a safe location.

On a school bus, the overhead inside rearview mirror is mounted directly above the windshield on the driver’s side of the bus. This mirror should be used to monitor students inside the bus.