Parents in the driver's seat
School bus safety fair to be held at Eastern Hills Mall
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter
D riving a school bus isn't the easiest of jobs. It's not just about operating a bulky machine, it's also about being entrusted with the lives of the community's young people.

"A lot of parents don't have a clear understanding of what training for bus drivers is like," said Irv Dehn, a retired deputy with the Erie County Sheriff's Department. "They don't understand why drivers don't want them around or walking their children to the bus."

Because parents don't know what it's like to be a bus driver, the Sheriff's Department, in cooperation with the WNY Chapter of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation and First Student, will present a school bus safety fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 14 in front of the indoor entrance to Macy's at the Eastern Hills Mall, 4545 Transit Road.

"We're going to have a school bus actually in the mall," said Dehn, who is a co-chairman of the event.

The safety fair has been held at the Eastern Hills Mall for the past 15 years, according to marketing manager Ellen Kaminsky.

"We're centrally located for the suburban community," she said, noting that the mall draws residents from Amherst, Clarence, Lancaster and the Tonawandas because of its location. "It's important for us to provide this community service because we have been established as the community mall."

The purpose of the safety fair is for children to practice safe loading and unloading procedures as well as street-crossing safety.

However, the event is mainly for the parents, Dehn said.

"A driver will have difficulty working with students if he or she doesn't have their full attention," he said. "Parents sometimes pose an outside distraction."

Dehn noted that this is a particular problem when a driver is trying to ensure that students who must cross the street do so safely.

"If they're crossing the street to a parent, they're paying attention to the parent, not the driver," he said. "I won't talk about what might happen then."

The safety fair is an opportunity for parents to literally sit in the driver's seat and see what he or she sees.

At the fair there will be representatives, with literature, from several area school districts, as well as the Erie County Sheriff's Department, which will be issuing identification cards as part of Operation Safe Child, and CSX Railroad, which will demonstrate the correct procedures for school buses crossing railroad tracks.

The WNY Head Mechanics Association will also be in attendance.

"They've been very active in school bus safety and transportation," said Linda Malczewsky, another co-chair of the event at First Student. "They fix all of our buses."

While the fair is educational in nature, some special guests will be on hand, including radio personalities, and, depending on the playoff schedule, Buffalo Sabres mascot Sabretooth, according to Malczewsky.

"We're going to be raffling off a kayak, a Ryan Miller jersey, gift certificates to Salvatore's (Italian Gardens) and the Garden Place (Hotel), and a BMX bike," Malczewsky added. Raffle tickets can be purchased at the safety fair. Stickers, balloons and face painting will also be available.

For more information on the safety fair, call First Student at 695-7898 or the Eastern Hills Mall at 633-1600.

e-mail: etaufa@beenews.com