School Bus Stops Starting To Be Unsafe for Students?
December 5, 2018
Imagine waking up for another day of school. You get ready and say goodbye to your parents and leave for the bus. When you arrive to your stop, you see your bus driving towards you with flashing lights. Looking both directions you start to cross the street, then you see a car trying to speed past the bus. What do you do?
We all learned about school safety and all the procedures in case there is an emergency. But what about bus safety?
All that we know is to look both ways, and our part is finished. But the cars driving, all they have to do is stop for less than 10 seconds, yet there are numerous cases where they choose to keep their foot on the pedal, or come around a sharp turn and not notice the bus stop.
Just last month three children were struck and killed due to a car as they were crossing the street for the bus. The driver claims she did not see them until it was too late.
This is a serious and growing problem.
From ages 5-18 children are able to take the bus. Kindergarten to high schoolers should be ensured that they will be safe going to school and returning, so what can schools and community do about this?
Safety laws need to be improve nowadays, and it’s becoming life threatening for children simply taking the bus to school. According to CBS News, there is a new petition to try and improve safety laws.
The petition is to get new legislation that would impose more severe penalties against drivers who illegally cross school bus lights, “such as jail time, drivers license suspensions, or a fine up to $5,000,” according to CBS News.
Additionally, these accidents led to something that could change the way buses route and possibly decrease and end bus crossing accidents.
Currently, there are many bus stops where a student must cross the street to get home. New petitions want to change all bus routes to avoid this–dropping off students on the side of the road that they live.
“Over the course of one recent week, five separate accidents in Florida, Indiana, Mississippi and Pennsylvania killed five children and injured six,” said CBS News. How many more lives did it take for the government to realise how serious road crossing is for children?
Drivers in these accidents should be heard too. Through all the sharp turns on the streets, how are they going to be aware there is a bus stop ahead of this turn? Why are bus stops even located on corners of streets?
Parents should start their day knowing their child is safe going to the bus, not getting a phone call explaining a situation where their child has been struck with a car and fatally injured.
Imagine the stress and heartbreak in that phone call.
The solution to these accidents involving students crossing the street, are now being advanced to students not having to cross the street at all. Insuring the safety of all ages, and the chances of an accident occurring, would be scarce.
One action that was put towards this issue, was a new law.
“Pennsylvania law requires drivers to stop at least ten feet away from school buses that have red lights flashing and the stop arm extended. Motorists must stop when they are behind the bus, meeting the bus, or approaching an intersection where a bus is stop” said Pa.Gov.
But new laws are expected to come.
If you are interested in reviewing the petition or signing it, visit here.