Auburn’s School Committee, voting unanimously this week, has formalized the procedure for bus drivers involved in traffic accidents.

It’s exactly the right thing to do. The real surprise, at least to those of us without experience on the most obscure details of school policy, is that no formal policy existed.

Drivers are required to immediately report an accident, to keep students with them until a supervisor instructs them otherwise and to gather detailed information about the students involved, including where they were sitting on the bus.

Also, the policy sets reasonable parameters for drug and alcohol testing for drivers after an accident. Drivers must be tested if police ticket the bus driver or say it’s necessary, if more than $1,000 in damage occurred or if there were any injuries.

The new rules will better protect students, bus drivers and the school system. It’s also good government practice to make sure policies and procedures are in writing and standardized.