NRMA delivers bus safety program for young students

NRMA Insurance (NRMA) has extended its partnership with the NSW police and local community organisations to promote safe school travel.

The partnership focuses on kindergarten students, helping them stay safe when travelling to and from school through the annual bus safety program.

This year, NRMA and the police and bus companies in NSW delivered the program in local communities, reaching 33 schools and over 1,400 schoolchildren in Wagga Wagga, Narrandera, Young, Forbes, Parkes, and Cowra.

Local NRMA proprietor Sarah Wardman said the program is essential for children travelling for the first time.

“We are proud to organise a program with our community partners that is helping young children learn about the potential dangers when travelling in a vehicle or crossing the road,” she said.

Christine Hillis, another local NRMA proprietor, said the bus safety program – which started 17 years ago – aims to increase children's confidence and safety in their trip to and from school.

“The success of this initiative is demonstrated in the program running for nearly two decades, which has added to creating a safer environment for school kids and drivers on the road,” she said.

Lessons from NRMA's bus safety program

Kindergarten students learned the following from this year's NRMA bus safety program:

• Always stand two steps back from the curb when waiting for the bus
• Never push or shove each other or muck around at the bus stop
• Wait for the bus to stop completely before getting on or off
• Wait for the bus to move away from the curb before crossing the road
• Tell the driver if you miss your stop
• Discuss with your parent or guardian who is a “safe adult”
• Ask a parent or guardian to write your home phone number inside your bag

Focusing on road safety, NRMA also released some road safety tips for young drivers.