With the first day of school quickly approaching, Kansas Highway Patrol troopers are assisting school districts throughout the state in assuring that students arrive to and from their destinations safely.

Troopers are inspecting school buses from now until the beginning of the school session to make sure the vehicles will load, transport, and unload students safely. Buses and other vehicles throughout the state are also inspected for compliance with safety regulations.

“An important responsibility that the Kansas Highway Patrol undertakes each summer is checking school buses for safety. Kansas state troopers want to see children protected, including being transported to and from their homes and schools safely,” Colonel Ernest E. Garcia, Superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, said. “We thank our school districts and school bus transportation providers for taking these inspections and school bus safety seriously.”

Thousands of school vehicles’ equipment and mechanical conditions will be checked as troopers visit each school district. A bus that passes the inspection will display a yellow sticker of approval in the corner of the windshield. Buses that do not comply with safety regulations cannot be used to transport students until all defects are corrected and a trooper rechecks the vehicle. In 2010, 9,724 buses were checked by the Kansas Highway Patrol for defects.