The Transportation Research Board (TRB) couldn't have said it any better - there is no safer way for children to get to and from school than the yellow school bus.

The School Bus Information Council has been making this exact point for several years. The biggest school-related risk to children is not violence in schools - or a lack of magnetometers - but their choice of transportation to and from school.

Latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation tell the story: school buses have the best safety record of any form of transportation. Last year, just six youngsters were killed as school bus occupants. Yet, 800 youngsters are killed every year getting to and from school by some other means than a school bus.

While even minor school bus crashes that don't involve serious injuries invariably make the news, other, greater risks go unnoticed because they are not typically reported as school transportation-related.

The TRB report should change that and serve as a fact-based wake up call for parents and federal and state policy-makers. Walking or bicycling to school, or allowing teens to ride with other teens, all involve more risk than riding a school bus. Worse, policies often encourage these alternatives to school buses as a way to save money.

The TRB report makes a compelling, factual argument that pupil transportation must remain a priority. TRB says, "School transportation planners and policy makers at all levels should analyze transportation risks comprehensively in their decision making related to school travel." We wholeheartedly agree.

The School Bus Information Council looks forward to working with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement the TRB recommendation that the risk information in this report be distributed so school officials, parents, and state and local officials responsible for pupil transportation can have the information they need "…to assess the adequacy of their school transportation systems. Such information is currently lacking."

To view the executive summary of the Relative Risks of School Travel, click here.