Police and school officials discuss school bus safety - WCAX

rintihoh.blogspot.com

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - With students back to school, that means those yellow buses are back on the road.

Faculty and staff are welcoming students back to the classroom this week, and say that it is a shared responsibility to make sure they arrive safely.

“It’s best to be safe, right? and practice defensive driving,” said South Burlington Police Lt. Gregg Jager. He says school zones and bus routes will be active again, so now is the time to play it safe on the road. “For operators, it’s very important to recognize that when the lights on a school bus are on, be conscious of it."

Lt. Jager says there are some common-sense rules to adhere to on the road:

Pay attention to all lights and signs on buses.
Keep distance and never pass a school bus when the red lights are on. Breaking that law comes with a fine of $249 and five points on your license.

Police also follow up on all reports made by bus drivers and Lt. Jager says they stay consistent with that follow up all year long.

He also says, passing a bus could be deadly. “Trying to save the 10 seconds by getting around a school bus is not worth a kid’s life,” he said.

But it isn’t only in residential neighborhoods that drivers need to be safe. “Within South Burlington, we have the opportunity to have our kids walk or bike to school," said John Craig, the vice principal at South Burlington High School.

He says South Burlington, like many school districts, asked their parents to bring students to school if they can. They are expecting this to cause a back up of cars and people around schools, so urges drivers to keep a heads up in school zones. “We really want motorists to be looking out for kids, especially in the crosswalks, because we are really anticipating an increase in pedestrians coming to Tuttle and here at the high school,” said Craig.

Lt. Jager says there are also things students can do to make sure they are staying safe at the bus stop. “It’s really important for them to use the handrails getting on and off the bus, staying away from the sidewalk, staying away from the curb when they are waiting for the bus, and to try to not walk in front of the bus. Even with the arm that swings out. it’s important not to walk in front of the bus. And if you have to walk in front of the bus, make sure you make eye contact with the bus driver," said Jager.

Drivers should also be aware that many students will be getting dropped off or could be walking to school, so Lt. Jager is asking people to stay safe and aware in school zones.

“I would ask people to give our buses extra room and exercise patience as drivers and students get familiar with our routes, increased drop off traffic, and stop schedules. Buses may be stopped for longer than normal while our routes are refined and our students get back into the routine of when buses will arrive at their stops,” said South Burlington School District director of operations Gary Marckres in a statement.

Search

Police and school officials discuss school bus safety - WCAX

Related Stories:

0 Response to "Police and school officials discuss school bus safety - WCAX"

Post a Comment