School bus safety tips for all
By Sierra Henry
Published in News on August 27, 2018 5:50 AM
Full SizeStudents, parents and teachers are not the only ones who need to prepare for the start of the school year.
As school buses will begin transporting students to and from schools, Kevin Harrison, section chief for Department of Public Instruction Transportation Services, said that it is important for everyone in the community to familiarize themselves with school bus stop-arm laws and stay away from distractions while driving.
"Stay aware -- that's the largest problem we have," Harrison said. "When they're on the school bus, students are 70 percent more likely to get to school more safely, as long as students make it onto the school bus."
Stop-arm laws are laws that dictate when traffic must stop for school buses that are boarding passengers. Harrison said that some laws in North Carolina can be complicated, but it is important for motorists to always be aware of school buses during transportation hours.
"Pay attention to driving during those transportation hours and stay away from distractions like cellphones," Harrison said.
"You have to always view the roadway as dangerous -- you have to be aware."
North Carolina school bus stop-arm law requires traffic from both directions to stop when school buses stop for passengers on a two-lane roadway; two-lane roadway with a center turning lane; and a four-lane roadway without a median separation.
North Carolina School Bus Law requires only traffic following the school bus to stop when the bus stops for passengers on a divided highway of four lanes or more with a median separation, and a roadway of four lanes or more with a center turning lane.
During one day in the spring of 2018, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Transportation Services collected stop-arm violation data from all counties in North Carolina.
According to their report, during that one day there were a total of 2,921 school bus arm-stop violations. Sixty-eight percent of all bus stop violations during that day occurred when traffic moving in the opposite direction of the bus did not stop, while 31.3 percent occurred when traffic moving in the same direction of the bus did not stop.
In Wayne County, there were a total of 84 bus stop violations during that 24-hour period. Sixty-eight of those violations occurred when traffic moving in the opposite direction of the bus did not stop.
Harrison also said that it is crucial for students to pay attention when they are crossing the road to board the school bus.
"The most important thing to mention is to pay attention to your (bus) driver when you're crossing the road," Harrison said. "(Students) should be looking to the bus driver when they are looking to cross."
Robert Lee, director of transportation for Wayne County Public Schools, said that when school starts motorists should be aware of their surroundings, especially if they see the red stop-arm lights when a school bus stops.
He also said that parents and adults should accompany children who are in elementary school to the bus stop 10 minutes prior to the scheduled arrival.
"It's important that children wait in a safe location," Lee said. "You don't need to stand on the line on the road ... we actually recommend that you wait 15 feet away from the road."
Lee also said that parents should be flexible during the first 10 days of school as the buses adjust their schedules to add or remove passengers from their route.
"Parents need to realize they play a part in this," Lee said. "Keep in mind that we will be making minor adjustments."
Wayne County Public Schools also provides several school bus safety tips on its website at waynecountyschools.org/BusSafety.aspx.