With school back in session, drivers urged to practice bus safety
CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — We have a few safety tips for drivers as schools around the region are heading back into session.
It’s become a growing concern as some drivers are reportedly running stop signs during bus stops.
Negligent drivers could pay the price in fines of up to $1,000, along with eight points on their driving record.
“For the kids as they get off the buses, the drivers out here are instructed to make the kids stop prior to crossing in front of the bus,” said Cory Thompson, Supervisor, Chester County School garage. “The drivers are instructed to check traffic in both directions, and then if it’s safe, they have hand signals that they use for the kids to let the kids know that it’s safe to cross in front of them.”
Drivers should exercise extra caution on the roadway, especially as school head back into session this semester.
“Slow down. You’re going to get there,” said Tim Crowe, Assistant Chief of Police, Henderson Police Department. “You’re going to be able to get there to pick your child up. You’re going to be able to get them in your car safely. You just need to slow down. Put your cell phone down. Stop looking at your cell phone and focus on driving, focus on what’s in front of you and just take a few extra seconds.”
According to Tennessee code, the driver should stop their vehicle before reaching the bus and should not proceed until the bus resumes motion, or visual signals by the bus driver to proceed.
“One of the things that the police department started doing just a couple of years back is periodically throughout the year stationing an officer on the bus,” Crowe said. “They would look for people running the stop sign, and when they do that, we’ll have other officers set up in the area. We actually enforce that law pretty stringently. We issue citations for that. The main things is that people need to be observant.”
“Just pay attention to the big yellow school bus and be aware that we’re transporting some of the most precious cargo that’s out on the roads,” Thompson said.
Authorities tell us drivers should adhere to school zone speeds, eliminate distractions, and always proceed with caution when approaching any flashing lights on the roadway.
Negligent drivers could face fines, demerit points, penalties, and even jail time for school safety offenses.
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