Schools back, safety's in Published Aug. 25, 2011 By Senior Airman Scott Saldukas 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- While safety is a hot topic year round for servicemembers, safety this time of year is even more important for the children who just kicked off the new school year. With the school year starting, people tend to think of class, homework, what to wear and what's going on after school but push safety aside when it should be in the forefront. "With a new school year starting, it's important to note that the real risks to a child's well-being may not be the ones parents worry about most," said Paul Blair, 47th Flying Training Wing ground safety manager. "Though the fear of child predators ranks high on every parents list of fears, children are actually at a five times greater risk of dying from an unintentional incident than from a violent act committed against them." According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, motor vehicle accidents are the number one killer of American children ages four to 14. Although the numbers are high for motor vehicle accidents, the statistics are rather low when it comes to school buses. "Children are nearly eight times safer riding a school bus than with their own parents or peers," Blair said. "Even though most do not have seat belts, school buses are designed to do a very good job of keeping kids in their seats in the event of an accident." He explained that the area outside the school bus is where most school bus-related injuries occur. "One of the most important concepts children should learn about bus safety is to avoid the danger zone, the area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of not being seen by the driver," he said. "Kids should know to stand well back as the bus approaches, get on it quickly and move away quickly when getting off." Rick Maldonado, San Felipe Del Rio Consolidated Independent School District transportation director, noted that if the safety guidelines are followed that were given out at the beginning of the year, most accidents can be prevented. "There are guidelines put out to help prevent accidents, but they must be followed. We stress this to all parties, the children, parents and drivers must know the guidelines," he said. "Our number one priority is the safety of the children."