How safe are school and bus environments? Parents’ perception of risks and hazards in the emirate of Dubai

Abstract

The increasing numbers of school bus injuries in the United Arab Emirates have generated concerns over children’s safety on school buses and around school premises. A survey was administered on 550 parents or guardians, whose children use the school bus in public and private schools of Dubai. The main objective was to assess parental perceptions of the school bus and school environments. Parents identified several factors that pose a threat to bus safety including speeding cars, poor driving, lack of seat belt use enforcement, lack of supervision, motorists’ lack of understanding of school bus stop law, and children behaviour. Results suggest a deficiency in the communication of information regarding bus safety and behavioural policies. The study also highlights parents’ concerns over safety in relation to the school bus transport and around school premises, and emphasizes the need for safety education, as well as proper provision and communication of safety policies.

Keywords:

• Behaviour
• injuries
• school bus safety
• seat belts
• traffic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the Research Incentive Fund at Zayed University [grant number 6037]. We are thankful to the students, parents and schools who accepted to participate in this study. We acknowledge the useful comments and data provided by Dr. Salim Khan from Birmingham City University, Mr. Michel Ghoulam and Ms. Diana Tattarakis from Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), as well as Mr. Badr Attar and Mr. Ahmed Al-Jassmi from Emirates Transport Foundation (ETF).