Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
District participates in Operation Safe Stop
The West Chester Area School District carries the massive responsibility of providing transportation to over 15,000 school students per year, including private schools and special education services. The district teamed up with local police departments on Oct. 24 for PennDOT’s Operation Safe Stop to remind motorists that it is illegal to pass a school bus when the red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended.
Operation Safe Stop is conducted in communities across the state in conjunction with National School Bus Safety Week. Locally, officers from West Goshen Township, West Whiteland Township, and WesttownEast Goshen Township rode along with students and drove behind buses keeping an eye out for violators.
“It happens unfortunately all too often,” said Sergeant Ted Lewis, of the Westtown-East Goshen Police Department.
“We get complaints on a weekly basis about vehicles that violate red lights on school buses. Some people realize what they’ve done, and some people don’t. There are a few violators that have no intentions of stopping, but the vast majority are distracted for some reason. They are either talking or texting on their cellphones, fiddling with the radio, eating or doing other things that are taking them away from their important task of driving a vehicle. It’s part of our modern society, unfortunately, and it has pretty severe consequences for children and other motorists in general.”
During Operation Safe Stop, police officers were stationed along some of the routes that have known problems.
“There are specific roadways that we definitely see more violators on, including Routes 100, 926, and 202,” said Lori Aguilera, project director for the Chester County Highway Safety Project. According to Aguilera, three motorists were pulled over and ticketed by police shortly after the buses began their runs.
If convicted of breaking Pennsylvania’s Bus Stopping law, a motorist faces a $250 fine, five points on their driving record, and a 60-day license suspension.
West Whiteland Police Detective Jeff McCloskey and Aguilera rode with students on their way to Exton Elementary School. Once they arrived, McCloskey and Aguilera handed out safety information to remind students to stay safe and alert.
West Chester Area School District Transportation Manager Joanne Yarnell said keeping students safe is a collaborative effort on the part of bus drivers, police officers, parents, and other motorists.
“Quite often, our Krapf and On the Go Kids bus drivers are the ones that report violators to the police. If they can safely do it, they
will write down the license plate number and report the driver. They can’t always do it though, because they’re trained to watch the kids as they get on and off the bus. Student safety is their number-one priority. Parents can watch for violators, too.”
Sergeant Lewis offered high praise for school bus drivers.
“Their professionalism and level of dedication are quite impressive. They take their job extremely seriously, which is exactly what we like to see. After all, parents are entrusting them with their children’s lives.”
Debra Smith has been driving a bus for Krapf for 18 years, and she said the problem has gotten worse. “I think everything is in fast forward these days,” said Smith. “When I started driving many years ago, this didn’t happen quite as often as it does now. It’s more aggressive, and it’s scary.”
Sergeant Lewis added parting words of wisdom for motorists. “Slow down, stop texting, and pay attention to what you’re doing. All of those other tasks can wait until you get to where you are going. It’s all about the safety of the children, yourself and other motorists.”