Safety Program
Guardian One Transport provides one of the safest and efficient transport services to its school students. We are obliged to ensure the safety and security of the students and staff in the school bus operated by us. A high level of safety is impossible without concentrated effort and innovation. Although our school buses have an excellent safety record, mishaps can happen and injuries can result. Improved road safety education and awareness may avert some of these mishaps. As a part of our commitment to transfer knowledge and increase awareness of safety through a safety program, we at Guardian One Transport, intend to organize ‘Annual School Bus Safety Month during the month November or December every year, to improve school bus safety by targeting a variety of audiences, from our students, their parents, to school bus drivers, conductors, the admin and academic staff of the School.
Activities for Safety Month
We propose to the School to conduct various activities during the Safety month. The details of the activities are as under:
- School Assembly: Conduct a school assembly to discuss appropriate behavior on the school bus and how it relates to passenger safety.
- Classroom Learning: Have each class teacher discuss safety issues with their students during regular classes. If possible hold the discussion on a school bus for a hands-on experience
- Buckle up Campaign: Not wearing a seatbelt is a significant contributor to all the major injuries to students during accidents. Wearing a seat belt improves the chances of avoiding injuries. The Buckle Up campaign educates and encourages students to change their behavior by considering the consequences of what may happen if they do not wear their seatbelt.
- Competitions: Conduct competition for school children on school bus safety materials for various age groups. Students may be asked to prepare Visuals, (movies or power-point presentations), posters and other display materials. The selected students will be awarded with prizes and their work will be displayed in the school website.
- Display of student works: Ask students of all classes of the School, to prepare posters and materials and display the same on their display boards. This can be conducted as Inter-house or Inter-class competition. Parents of the School also be invited for the exhibition of safety posters done by their wards.
- Student Activities: Have students draw maps of the routes they walk to the school bus, including where they stand to wait for the school bus. Discuss the safety issues that the maps display (crossing a busy intersection, where to wait for the school bus, etc.)
- Parents’ Engagement: Communicate the safety materials developed by the school to the parents and encourage them to discuss the same with their child / children. They should discuss how to travel safely to and from the school bus stop, the rules of getting on and off the school bus, and proper behavior when riding the school bus.
- Take the Pledge: The children will be asked to get the ‘Take the Pledge’ form signed by their parents to create awareness about driving phone-free. One of the main reason for accidents in the UAE is distracted driving. This initiative creates awareness to community about phone-free driving.
- Emergency Evacuation Drill: Hold a school bus emergency evacuation drill with the involvement of Civil Defense, Dubai police, RTA staff, emergency medical service, and rescue agency.
- School Bus Driver Appreciation Day: School Bus Driver and Attendant Appreciation Day will be conducted during this month, where the safe drivers and attendants can be appreciated for their outstanding and faultless services with the school.
- Host Switch Roles Day: Invite school bus drivers to “become” students by attending classes with their passengers. Give students the opportunity to “become” a school bus driver. Let them sit in the driver’s seat, look in the mirrors, and see what the school bus driver sees (after removing the keys).
- Anti-drink Campaign: Think before you drink. Think twice before your drive – is our campaign used to educate the school bus drivers of G1 as part of anti-drinking education campaigns.
- Anti-speeding Campaign: Speeding is contributing factor in 1 in every 5 road fatalities. Anti-speeding campaigns are to save lives by slowing down speeding motorists and reminding them of the real dangers and consequences of speeding.
- Driver Distraction Campaign: Distracted drivers are dangerous. It only takes a split second for a driver to lose his concentration. To reduce road accidents Springdales School will develop a campaign to discourage our drivers to:
- Driving tired campaign: Fatigue is as dangerous as speeding and drink driving – getting behind the wheel after 17 hours without sleep has the same effect on a person’s driving as having a blood alcohol level of 0.05. Yawning, heavy eyes, blurred vision and reduced concentration are the warning signs and symptoms of fatigue. We conduct dedicated class room sessions on this subject with drivers and bus attendants.
- Road Rules Refresher Campaign: Breaking basic road rules is a major reason for many of the accidents. Fundamental road rules about roundabouts, merging, yellow lights, safe following distances, giving way, U-turns etc. Most of the drivers do not realize the danger in breaking the rules. Guardian One Transport is committed to road safety, conducts refresher course for the drivers working with the school and refresh the knowledge of road rules, and to turn obey these rules.
- Communication of SMART Safety Initiative: Formal introduction of SMART initiative to all the students and parents will be done during this campaign through Newsletters, Website and circulars.
- SMART Safety Idea Campaign: To invite smart safety ideas from the parents and staff of the schools, we conduct annual Smart Safety Idea Campaign where their ideas are recorded and included in the Annual Operating Plan.
- Visit to Risk Management Centre: We have set up Risk Management Centre in the School. We also invite parents and staff to visit the Risk Management Centre and monitor their functionality.