Red means stop for school bus safety

A reminder to be aware as kids begin travelling to and from school

As summer winds down and students prepare to head back to school, drivers and parents should begin thinking about bus safety.

School is starting on Sept. 7 for students in the Chignecto-Central Regional School district, which means drivers should start watching for young kids entering roadways.

“As the school year starts, drivers need to be careful and aware of kids walking to bus stops,” said Sandy Lynds, co-ordinator of transportation for the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board.

“Especially in the more rural areas that tend not to have sidewalks, kids will be walking and waiting along the roadside. Kids also tend to play around at bus stops, and one could accidentally enter the road, so drivers need to be ready for that.”

He also cautioned that as kids get older, they tend to stray away from sidewalks and bus stops, and could pop up at any time.

One of the biggest issues bus drivers and the school board see is people passing buses while they are stopped, which creates an unnecessary hazard for kids.

“Across the province, there were over 1,100 incidents of people passing buses while their red lights were flashing last year alone,” said Lynds.

“It is extremely dangerous for people to do that, as the kids getting on the bus could be hurt or worse. It is also illegal, and comes with some hefty circumstances if caught.”

Passing a stopped school bus comes with a charge of $410 and six demerit points if caught. A repeat offence increases the charge to $1272.50.

These charges don’t seem to deter drivers from passing buses though, and making them more severe may not be the answer either.

“If we had a better conviction rate, I think raising the charges would do some good,” said Lynds.

“Unfortunately in most cases, unless the cop is right behind the bus when someone passes it, they almost never get charged. There is just too much information needed from the bus driver to make an actual charge. If it makes it to court, it is usually thrown out.”

When someone passes a stopped bus, the bus driver is required to know the make, model and colour of the vehicle, its licence plate number, and an accurate depiction of the driver in order for charges to be pressed.

If a car is passing in the opposite lane or passing at a high rate of speed, getting this information becomes nearly impossible.

“We have been pushing for awhile to bring front plates back, because if they pass in the oncoming lane, it is almost impossible for the bus driver to get a plate number,” said Lynds.

To help keep kids safe during their trips to and from school, Lynds recommends parents teach kids about how to be safe while waiting for and getting on the bus.

“The biggest thing parents could teach their kids about bus safety is to not fool around at a bus stop,” he said.

“Kids tend to play and push each other around while they wait for the bus, which can be dangerous. They should also talk to their kids about looking both ways for cars before going to the bus.

“You can’t expect they will stop anymore.”