DVD to spread the word on bus safety

The initiative was launched at Hagley Farm Primary School yesterday and aims to teach children and their parents how to act on and around buses to minimise crashes and injuries statistics.

The launch was filmed by Deloraine producers Studio Be and will be distributed to schools across the state for educational use.

Meander Valley councillor Pat Frost, who came up with the idea, said it was important that all students, no matter their age, were reminded of bus safety.

"Back in my time, we had people from the government come and teach us bus safety all the time," Cr Frost said.

"And by doing this, we might save one life and you can not put a price on that."

In the past few years there have been several school bus incidents, including the most recent death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl in March.

The girl had just stepped off a stationary school bus at a stop opposite Karanja Court in the Derwent Valley when she was struck by a ute and killed.

Westbus director Grant Bingley said he had seen many near misses in his 25-year bus driving career and if this program could prevent just one injury, it had done its job.

"The amount of kids I've seen walk around the front of my bus, I wouldn't even know because it's too many," he said.

"When they do that you don't even have time to get your hand on the horn, it takes your breath away."

The bus safety program was a joint initiative of the Meander Valley and Kentish Latrobe Community Road Safety Partnerships and was sponsored by the Department of Infrastructure and Resources.

To obtain a copy of the DVD contact the Meander Valley Council.