Wake schools launch new school bus safety procedure

In Wake County schools past year, during the first month of school, one student was hit and killed while waiting for the bus and two teens were killed in crashes on their way to school.

Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Whether in a school zone or residential neighborhood, motorists should keep their speed low and be prepared to stop quickly for increased vehicle or pedestrian traffic. Please be patient as children enter and exit school buses.

Wait for the bus in a safe location that is away from traffic, ideally staying in a designated school bus stop until the bus arrives. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop. It may be tempting to drive around stopped school buses, but not only is it unsafe, it’s against the law.

When entering a school zone, slow down to 20 miles per hour and be extra alert for children on foot and bicycles.

Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in neighborhood.

White says, “When the red stop lights and stop arm are activated, a driver must stop and remain stopped until the bus driver retracts the stop arm and deactivates the red warning lights”.

“I really think if somebody gets caught for running the stop sign they can’t say they didn’t see the stop sign”, Williams said.

Teach children to follow these common sense practices to make school bus transportation safer.

When the bus approaches, stand at least five giant steps (10 feet) away from the curb, and line up away from the street.

Once the bus driver checks for traffic, they can then deploy the crossing bar guard at the front of the bus and open the door. Be sure that the bus driver can see you and you can see the bus driver when crossing the street.

Use the handrail and enter the bus in an orderly manner.

Never walk behind the bus.

If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver.

The new school year is extremely busy on the roadways, so please plan ahead, leave your home earlier than normal to allow enough time to reach your destination and don’t rush.