In a year spotted with close calls, local educators and law enforcement officials are asking motorists to exercise the utmost caution around school buses.
The Seward County Sheriff's Office in a Facebook post on April 1 explained that instances of school bus violations have significantly increased recently. These incidents include motorists ignoring stop arms and flashing lights on buses that require vehicles to stop in order to allow children to safely enter and exit buses.
Milford Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Wingard said the reports of these incidents increasing throughout the county are disheartening considering the potential implications of the violations.
“It's just scary to think about,” he said. “I can't imagine one of our kids getting hit.”
The law states that both lanes of traffic must stop when the school bus's caution lights are flashing and the bus is stopped. If the school bus is still moving with flashing yellow lights, drivers should slow down in anticipation of coming to a stop. If a bus's stop arm is out, both lanes of traffic must stop until the arm is retracted.
The sheriff's office advises that a violation of any of these measures can lead to a $500 ticket in addition to other fines and fees.
Seward Superintendent Dr. Josh Fields said he appreciates the sheriff office's attention to the matter and that any form of awareness is important.
“We just need to have continued awareness and education of knowing that you have to stop when the arm is out and the flashing lights are on,” Fields said.
Fields said that rates of bus violations have increased lately, which is typical for spring. He said district drivers report violations at least every two weeks, if not more.
“We have violations probably once every two weeks,” he said. “We may have a stretch where we go three to four weeks without a violation, but then we could have two or three in a week.”
Fortunately, Fields said no injuries have occurred as a result of these violations and in most cases, a driver is ticketed for the violation. He said a major factor in the district's ability to catch violators is the recent introduction of license plate cameras on the sides of all district buses.
“With the new technology that's available, that's helped with getting charges brought and that's a positive piece that we have seen” Fields said. “We get a perfect picture of the vehicle and license plates and those are very helpful in trying to ticket people.”
Wingard said that Milford buses have the side cameras as well, but have also added extensions onto buses' stop arms.
“We're covering at least half of the next lane and that's helped make a big difference too,” Wingard said.
Along with technology improvements and a focused effort from law enforcement, Wingard said another safety measure is simply education on bus safety.
“Our bus drivers are non-stop with that,” Wingard said. “Watch what the bus drivers are doing. They're constantly talking to kids. You can hear them yell that they're clear and you'll see drivers put their arms out to stop them from getting off the bus. Our bus drivers do a lot of teaching.”
Centennial High School Principal Colin Bargen said that the Centennial district aims to educate its student drivers on safety as well. At the beginning of the year, Bargen said students are reminded of safe driving tips, particularly around school buses.
“At the beginning of the year, we talk about car safety, parking lot safety and the school zone out in front of school,” he said. “It's a good discussion.”
Bargen added that these little lessons can prevent a massive tragedy.
“We don't want anyone to have to live with that,” he said. “Young drivers are probably more impulsive about things and I think it's important to educate, remind and reteach different things. These kids are entrusted to us and we're expected to keep them safe, and part of that school day is when we're transporting them.”
Fields said that at Seward, a letter is sent out in the fall with a section dedicated to bus safety. He said they also work with local media to ensure students and parents are aware of safety protocols and that motorists realize the danger associated with school bus violations.
“Those are some things that are helpful,” he said. “Education is an important part of understanding the law.”
