Rule four has a reason. First, of course, it is the law. The reason for this law is that when the bus is moving you are bouncing around. And children are talking and laughing, not a good time to have things in your mouth, including gum. All of it is a choking hazard.
Second, you would not believe the mess left on a bus when eating is done. Gum can be a real treat to clean up after it has been mashed into the grooves in the vinyl floor runner. Pop is sticky and makes a real mess after it is spilled and tracked all over. Mopping the bus around, between and under the seats is no fun!

How would I know this if no eating is allowed? Because everyone does not follow the rules. Kids "sneak" snacks on the bus after school; they can't seem to wait 15 minutes until they get home. Parents send "breakfast" on the bus because they didn't have time to eat at home. Some coaches don't care about rules on the bus, they see no need for not eating and so after teams leave, we get the mess. The band is notorious for leaving sucker sticks everywhere- - -can you imagine what would happen if a child had a sucker in their mouth and was thrown against the seat when the bus stopped suddenly? Where would the stick be pushed?

The state of Ohio, the district and the company I work for, Laidaw, also have another safety rule. This has been implemented because of injuries and some fatalities elsewhere. We warn the children and parents about the hazards of things that "hang" from clothing and bookbags. Anything that is loose and swinging can be caught in the door or hung up somewhere else and trap the child.

We have a policy that children are to be out of the danger zone before we close the door and we also count the children as they get off and try to be aware of anything getting caught--but---you and I know that the freak accident could be fatal. Look at your children's clothing. Does the jacket have those drawstrings? are they hanging down far enough to get caught in something? Cut them off; tie a knot so they won't get pulled back into the tube and cut off all excess.

What about the bookbag? I don't know of any child that uses the straps. They only use one shoulder strap (ok, some use two as they are supposed to) but I'm speaking about the ones on the bottom, the ones they don't use, the ones that are excess from tightening the shoulder strap all the way. Look at their bag, is anything hanging down? Cut it off-they won't miss it and will never need it. All those turned back edges that are stitched and glued can act as an anchor and prevent the child from moving. Over and over I have children get hung up in their seats because these ends of the book bags get stuck between the sidewall and the seat and they can't pull it loose. I have to come back and slide it forward to release it. I tell them to cut them off-they don't.

I would like to be able to take a pair of scissors and cut everything off that is a hazard. And what about all the keychain ornaments hanging from the zippers on all the bookbags? Can you think of any better way to get your child caught in something? They are like fishing hooks, just waiting to catch something and not let go.