Some school buses carry a strobe light on roof for extra warning

QHello Honk: Today I saw a strobe light on top of an Anaheim Union High School District bus. I’ve seen these strobe lights on buses before in Texas. What does the white flashing light mean? — Mario Luna, Anaheim

A“It’s an extra safety device when there is fog,” said Rob Lewis, acting supervisor for Anaheim Union’s transportation department.

The strobe light is affixed to the top of a bus toward the back end.

In Anaheim Union, many of the district’s newer buses have them. It is an option, like those STOP signs that swing out from the side of some school buses.

Yes, school buses have a bunch of lights on them, but this one is quite bright and just an extra measure to ensure motorists see the vehicles and take extra precautions.

In Anaheim, of course, the strobe lights aren’t needed much, with pea soup an infrequent visitor.

QHello Honk: When I went to Oregon a few months ago, an Oregon woman backed into my vehicle. I waited a couple of days until I got back home to California to report it to her insurance company. She admitted fault. Do I need to report the damage to Oregon’s equivalent of our Department of Motor Vehicles, to the California DMV, or to both? I know there used to be an amount associated with notifying our DMV. — Jaime Gutierrez, Yorba Linda

ABecause the collision occurred outside of California, Jaime, you do not need to report it to the DMV here, Angelica Martinez, a spokeswoman for the California DMV, told Honk.

In Oregon, traffic collisions must be reported if at least one vehicle or one person’s property suffered more than $2,500 in damage, said David House, a spokesman for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Or if a vehicle was towed, or someone was hurt or killed. The information is to be filed within 72 hours.

Let’s circle back to California, because that is where most Honkland residents who have been in an accident would encounter such a requirement.

“If this incident occurred in California, then the driver would be required to report the collision by completing a Report of Traffic Accident Occurring in California (which the DMV calls an SR 1) to DMV within 10 days if there is more than $1,000 in damage to the property of any person, or anyone is injured (no matter how slightly) or killed,” Martinez told Honk in an email.

So if two cars collided and each suffered, say, $501 in damage, that would not trigger the reporting law, she said. Oregon’s reporting number is higher, but when the law comes into play uses the same logic.

Honkin’ fact: Astronauts, as far back as the Gemini missions in the mid-1960s have been allowed to bring “personal preference kits:” Stuff they want to take to space with them and bring back or leave in the International Space Station. “Information about the items that astronauts take with them is usually kept very private, but typical PPK items include family photos, organizational flags, T-shirts, ball caps, books, religious texts and personal mementos,” NASA’s website said.