Driving a back-road this week, I got behind a school bus.

It stopped a couple of times. Each time I dutifully stopped until the kids exited, crossed the street, started safely home.

I never considered passing the bus while it was stopped. Actually, didn’t get frustrated with the temporary delays. I’ve been conditioned. There’s too much at stake to ignore “school bus” safety. Lives are at stake.

It caused me to consider: work safety ought to be like “school bus” safety.

We need to grind safety behavior into every activity.

I don’t recall who expressed the urgency about safety around school buses. Perhaps it was one of my parents or a driver education teacher. In any case, it was drilled in.  It has become a “given”. I don’t compromise it. There is too much at stake.

We have new “drivers” enter our work force daily. They are new behind the wheel. They don’t recognize the risks more experienced drivers see. They don’t fully know the rules.

It takes all of us with experience to assure those inexperienced get schooled. We need to be on alert as they join our team. We need to be generous with instruction and advice. We need to be uncompromising when unsafe behavior occurs. We need to hold them accountable to the safety standards in our area.

You don’t here about children getting killed or injured because of violations of “school bus” safety. We all agree. There’s too much at stake.

The stakes are high here too!