About a month into the new school year, local bus officials are reminding motorists that student safety while boarding and deboarding the bus are of the utmost importance.
Officials have seen a noticeable rise in incidents of cars driving through the flashing red school bus lights, which can usually be attributed to driver distraction.
“It’s mental distraction as well as physical distraction,” says Switzer-Carty’s Certified Driving Instructor Amanda Ryan. “We’re seeing multiple incidents per day.”
Ryan says that people on their devices certainly play into the increase, but also people who just aren’t paying attention to things coming their way. Maybe they are looking ahead to Tim Hortons or Walmart and not watching what’s coming their way.
Holly Adams, Branch Manager at Switzer-Carty in Leamington, says that people just need to pay better attention and be patient when buses are on the road.
“We need to change the mindset of the public,” she says. “It’s everybody’s job to ensure those students cross safely.”
Adams says when she started in the busing industry over 20 years ago, calls about people running the crossings were occasional. Now they have several a day.
Ryan and Adams both feel that a problem area in Leamington is the Erie Street South corridor, where buses try to navigate the heavy traffic at busy times of the day.
“People assume that because it’s four lanes, they don’t have to stop,” they said. “If the red lights are flashing and the stop arm is out, you must stop.” The recent implementation of amber “schoolers” gives drivers fair warning that buses are about to stop for students.
In the bus industry, they refer to both the red and amber flashing lights as schoolers.
Ideally, if you are driving behind a school bus, you need to stop at least 20 metres behind the bus.
If you are travelling in the opposite direction, you also have to be aware that you need to leave some distance.
“Kids may not pay attention as they are crossing, so please leave them as much room as you can,” says Ryan.
Ryan believes it’s a shared responsibility by everyone to make sure those kids get home safely every day.
“When you’re driving around a school bus, think about if it was your child or grandchild crossing,” she says. “Each of these children are someone’s child or grandchild.”
Adams says the company also has several stops for students in wheelchairs and it takes time to get those kids loaded and unloaded — sometimes prompting calls to the bus company by impatient drivers. Often, drivers just go around despite the flashing lights. Adams says this is dangerous as another child may be coming from across the road and not see the vehicle.
She says they also get people passing school buses on the right, which is illegal as well and very dangerous.
“We’ve had some near misses,” she says. “We really just want people to pay attention.”
When the yellow (amber) lights begin to flash, drivers should anticipate that the bus is slowing down to pick up or let off students and plan accordingly. Those lights are activated about 100 feet ahead of the stop and that distance may increase in heavier traffic.
The red lights are activated when the bus comes to a full stop.
“At this time, the stop arm will automatically come out,” says Adams. “If they don’t stop, that’s when tragedies can happen.”
Adams and Ryan both believe the possibility of injuring or killing a child should be deterrent enough, but as an added deterrent, the first offense is six demerit points and a $400-$2,000 fine. Second offense within five years will cost you up to $4,000, six demerits and a possible six-month jail term.
Adams says that the bus industry has taken many steps over the years to help improve safety, including ensuring that kids don’t cross a four-lane highway.
“We only do same side drop-offs on four lane roadways,” she said. “The kids aren’t allowed to cross those busy roads.”
The bus will turn around and come back up the road from the other direction to avoid students crossing busy four-lane roadways.
They are asking the public to slow down, pay attention and be aware that there are students in the morning and afternoon who want to make it home to their families.
In the end, we all do share that responsibility and nobody wants to be the one who causes a tragedy. It’s time to put the phones down and watch what we are doing.
