The Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at NC State University is partnering with the Department of Public Instruction on a Cumberland County School Bus Safety Campaign.
The goal of the campaign, which is funded by a grant from the NC Governor’s Highway Safety Program, is to improve the safety of children in Cumberland County by spreading awareness about the NC School Bus Stop Law and encouraging drivers to watch for children and stop for school buses.
According to the annual National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Survey, 2,687 drivers illegally passed a stopped school bus on North Carolina roads during one day of data collection in 2024. Most of the illegal passings were from drivers coming in the opposite direction of the bus.
Many drivers are unsure about when they should stop for school buses, so this project is centered on an educational campaign to explain and spread awareness about the North Carolina School Bus Stop Law. The county-wide effort will also include radio PSAs, social media advertising, poster displays, and stakeholder outreach.
Want to stay updated on the campaign and receive announcements for new materials? Sign up below.
You’re driving the kids to soccer practice and your phone starts ringing – probably your husband calling to tell you about a duffle bag or snack left behind. In the lovely chaos of raising a family, these types of situations are typical. You are simultaneously a loving parent and a taxi driver. You’re a manager of sorts, always “on call” for your family, juggling schedules and quality time together. But in the midst of the busy commutes and carpools, you’re building more than a life routine for your family. You’re also building habits that your kids will carry for life.
In the bustle of the day, you may not think twice about a quick text at the red light or a check-in call with your partner while you drive. But from a very young age, children notice and absorb our behavior – including how we interact (or not) with our phones while driving. Are you (unintentionally) showing your kids that it’s ok to drive distracted?
Years from now, when your little ones are old enough to drive, you will do as all parents do. You will urge them to “Be safe!” You’ll tell them to buckle up, follow the speed limit, and avoid distractions. But by then, it may be too late. If they have watched you use a phone while driving their whole lives, that is what they will replicate.
It’s never too late: shaping new habits after mistakes
With the demands of modern life and the pressure to be constantly accessible, it’s understandable if you or other members of your family have developed a distracted driving habit over the years.
The important thing is being able to critically assess what is most important for your family’s safety from now on and do your best to approach the future with a clean slate and a new standard.
Children learn valuable lessons when they see a parent admit mistakes and strive to change. While it may be uncomfortable at first, having a vulnerable, honest discussion with your kids about how you plan to stop using a phone behind the wheel may even be a more impactful lesson for them in the long run.
So if you’ve been driving distracted with your kids for years, take a breath and grant yourself some forgiveness. Dust it off. Talk it out with them and commit to some new family rules like the ones listed below.
Be a Safe Road Model: Keep Your Eyes on the Road and Hands on the Wheel
It’s hard to imagine your sticky-fingered toddler behind the driver’s wheel. But before you know it, they will be in the driver’s seat. And the most influential driving lesson they have received is the years they spent observing you.
Family Rules to Stay Safe
Setting family rules ensures that your children consistently observe (and absorb) safe habits. Download and discuss the Traffic Safety Family Contract below to get started.
To help each other stay accountable to the Family Contract and avoid using phones while driving, discuss the following before signing the contract.
The Why: Driving requires 100% focus
The difference between a near-miss and a serious crash is often a few milliseconds of reaction time. Those lifesaving milliseconds are lost if you take your attention off of the road for a call or your eyes off of the road for a “quick” glance at your phone.
The How: Using Technology to Stay Focsued
As a family, set up Driving Mode/Driving Focus on your phones. Driving Mode or Driving Focus should automatically silence text and call notifications while driving. Removing the temptation to answer by silencing notifications will make it easier to stay focused.
Pro Tip: Set up Driving Mode/Driving Focus to automatically turn on when connecting to your car’s Bluetooth.
In Case of Emergencies
Many phones allow repeat callers (people who call multiple times in a row) to send notifications even with Driving Mode or Driving Focus enabled. If your phone does not allow this setting, establish a protocol for your family to signal an emergency while someone is driving, like the example below.
Once you’ve established a family rule to not answer the phone while driving, discuss what to do in case of an emergency. For example, if someone urgently needs to reach the driver, they should call twice in a row. That signals to the driver to pull over to a safe place and call back.
In this family, we advocate for safety
You’ll also want to prepare your children to speak up if they see distracted driving when you’re not around. What will your kids do if they are in the car with another adult who uses a phone while driving? What can they say or do if they don’t feel safe in someone else’s car? Discuss various situations together and have them practice speaking up if a driver is distracted.
Pro Tip: Come up with a “traffic safe word” that your kids can use to signal to you that an adult is being an unsafe driver. For example, if your kids call or text you that they want “orange popsicles” later, that may be your family’s secret signal that an adult driver is being unsafe. This allows you as the adult to either talk to that person or arrange a different ride for your children.
Keep each other accountable
Your family is more likely to stick to the contract if everyone has equal input and accountability on the rules. Agree to “watch out for each other” rather than have the adults carry the full responsibility of enforcing the rules. While it may be challenging to your family dynamic at first, your children should have permission (and encouragement!) to remind adults of the rules if they slip. By allowing everyone in the family to remind each other, everyone will be equally committed and invested in the agreement.
Pro Tip: Come up with a few phrases or words that your family can use to remind each other of the rules without additional conflict or discussion. For example, if anyone in the family says “Williams’ Focus” (using your family’s last name), the driver agrees to stop using a phone.
Encourage dialogue between children and their guardians about traffic safety.
Children learn about safe vs unsafe behaviors on the road and in a car and are taught how to speak up if someone is unsafe.
Children are given ticketbooks and encouraged to write “tickets” for family members who are being unsafe.
Who is this for?
The materials are written for older elementary school age children or young middle school children. Any adult who wants to help children learn about traffic safety may use this activity.
Why is this important?
Traffic crashes are a leading cause of death for North Carolina kids. Over the past five years, 630 children were killed on North Carolina roads. To help keep them safe it’s important to teach children how to recognize safe vs unsafe behaviors and how to speak up if someone is unsafe.
Activity Materials
Ticket Your Family graphic
This image can be shared with school faculty, parents and guardians, PTA members, etc. to promote the program.
In the middle of your third Zoom meeting of the day, you look over to see your four year old daughter pounding away on a plastic keyboard, balancing her toy cell phone on her shoulder and talking like a boss baby. Her air of authority makes you laugh and pulls your attention away from your call. Your mini-me is at it again.
Watching our kids imitate us can be a warm and gratifying experience. It also serves as an important reminder of the observant eyes that soak up our behavior like a little sponge. On the road, it’s especially important to give them a good example to follow.
Children start learning how to drive as soon as you turn their car seat facing forward.
The way you drive now is how your kids will drive when they get a license.
By modeling the habits that will keep them safe on the road, you help to shape safe behaviors long before they get their license.
2 – Explain What You’re Doing and Why
Add another level to your child’s understanding of traffic by thinking aloud as you drive, bike, walk, or ride. The extra context clues will help them to start recognizing cues and threats like an experienced traveler.
Explain your decisions using “I” statements during trips with your child. For example:
“Oh look, the cars way up there are braking. I will slow down too.”
“Since it’s raining, it may be hard for people to see this car. I’m going to put on my headlights so they can see us.”
“I’m not sure if that driver can see me yet, I’m going to wait to cross until we make eye contact.”
“There’s a pedestrian at that crosswalk! I’m going to stop and wave at her so she can cross safely.”
“That big truck may not be able to see my car, so I’m going to give it plenty of space.”
3 – Practice Safety Together
The next important step to prepare your child is to practice together. As you’re traveling, ask your child open-ended questions to test his awareness and understanding of threats and situations. Play out circumstances he might encounter and ask him what he would do.
Try it out:
Take a walk through your neighborhood to practice crossing the street safely and looking and listening for cars. If you feel comfortable, take a walk in a busier location to give them experience with higher levels of traffic.
For more information about how to teach kids how to walk and bike safely, visit Let’s Go NC.
Give your kids hypothetical situations to practice speaking up as passengers. For example, pretend that you’re another parent from school and you start using a phone while driving. What should your child do in that situation? How will they tell you about it later?
As you’re driving, play the SPOTS game. SPOTS = See People On The Street. To play, everyone should tap their head and count aloud when they see people walking or biking. This simple game helps children practice looking for people when they (eventually) drive.
Having regular family conversations about safety will help your child internalize these habits. Discuss traffic safety rules with your family and commit to them together using this free Traffic Safety Family Contract.
Give your children permission to remind you of that commitment if they catch you doing something unsafe. By keeping each other accountable, your child will also learn how to speak up and advocate for his own safety in other situations.
Your students are full of energy and tired of being cooped up inside. How can we encourage them to use that energy at school while still learning?
The Walk the Worldprogram is a ready-to-go activity for elementary or middle school classes.
About the program
The goal of the Walk the World program is to encourage physical activity and cultural learning. This “walking at school” activity will provide your students with a chance to learn about other countries while establishing a healthy walking habit.
By walking a small distance regularly at school, students collectively travel a virtual journey between famous destinations. For example, if a class of 30 students walks 1 mile a week, they can travel the distance from London to Paris in one semester.
The program includes a journey map, a lesson plan, a class presentation, and a certificate template. All program materials are free to download and use!
Who is this for?
Any instructor who wants to introduce physical activity into their lesson plans.
Why is this important?
Physical activity, like walking at school, can help your students stay focused for the rest of the day.
Walking is also great for your students mental and physical health.
How do I start?
Choose one of the two journeys below – either London to Paris or Osaka to Tokyo. Click on the lesson plans, maps, and presentations below to download the materials.
Your child looks up to you and absorbs your behavior. That is why it is said that children start learning how to drive from the moment you turn their carseat facing forward!
The good news is that you can help ensure your child is a safe driver years before they get a driver’s license.
By modelling the habits that will keep them safe on the road, you teach them without making it a formal lesson.
Even very young children notice your behaviors when you travel. Help them to absorb safety habits by showing them the right things to do around traffic.
Explain your Thinking Process
As you are traveling, explain your decisions by using I statements. For example:
“Oh look, the cars way up there are braking. I will slow down too.”
“Since it’s raining, it may be hard for people to see this car. I’m going to put on my headlights so they can see us.”
“There’s a pedestrian at that crosswalk! I’m going to stop and wave at her so she can cross safely.”
“That big truck may not be able to see my car, so I’m going to give it plenty of space.”
Imagine your Child with a Driver’s License
Even if your child will not start driving for another decade, he is already learning how to drive by watching you. If he spent years watching you text and drive, what do you think he will do once he gets his license? If the driving example in your family includes speeding, do you think he will follow the speed limit?
Make a Family Commitment
Discuss safety rules with your family and commit to them together.
Give your children permission to remind you of that commitment if they catch you doing something unsafe. By keeping each other accountable, your child will also learn how to speak up and advocate for her safety in other situations.
