ALBANY, N.Y. — A national association and school bus company have partnered on a new video to promote National School Bus Safety Week.

The National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT’s) and Student Transportation of America's (STA’s) video, “My School Bus, the Safest Form of Student Transportation,” includes information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has found that students who are transported to and from school via the yellow bus are 70 times safer than students who walk, bicycle, or ride in a car driven by adults or teens. The video also details how school buses are designed to be safer than other vehicles, and how drivers receive extensive training and are subject to several background checks, as well as drug and alcohol and medical tests. 

Barry Sudduth, president of the NAPT, encouraged members in an email announcement to share the video and noted that National School Bus Safety Week, which takes place from Oct. 21 to 25, “is the perfect time to tell this story.”

“School buses save hundreds of lives each year and are an important part of the education system,” Sudduth said. “These amazing vehicles maximize the likelihood that schoolchildren will arrive at school safely, on time, and ready to learn and will also return home safely at the end of the day.”

Sudduth added that today’s school buses are equipped with technology such as GPS, telematics, and digital video systems that boost safety and efficiency.

View the video below.