“School Bus Etiquette”
School buses safely transport the youth to and from school. School buses are designed to be visible with a recognizable yellow color and sheer size. While on the bus, students are statistically very safe, but when entering or exiting the bus, the biggest dangers arise. In this blog, we will look at proper procedure when encountering school buses,
School buses have certain rights that normal vehicles do not have. One of these is stopping traffic. As passengers are loaded and unloaded it is required for school buses to stop to allow for loading and unloading. To alert drivers that they are coming to a stop, a school bus will turn on its warning lights at least 100 feet before stopping in residential areas, and at least 200 feet before stopping in rural areas. When the bus begins to slow down, slow down and be on the lookout for children. When a bus is stopped, has flashing lights, stop arm extended, and other indicators, drivers must come to a complete stop and wait until the stop signal arm is no longer extended and the flashing lights are turned off or the school bus driver signals vehicles to pass. In Illinois, a driver must stop when on any two-lane highway, any roadway, highway, or private road, and any parking lot on school property. Vehicles may proceed with caution if they are traveling in the opposite direction of a 4-lane road. Passing a school bus illegally can lead to fines, suspensions, and jail time.
School buses are large to transport as many children to education as possible. With this size, blind spots occur for the driver. If possible, try to avoid driving in blind spots on school buses. It can also get chaotic in school buses with lots of yelling and screaming children so prepare for sudden movements and actions going on within the vehicle. The buses may also have to take wide turns with the extended length of the vehicle. As covered in “Navigating Railroad Tracks”, School buses must stop at all railroad crossings so be prepared to stop before all crossings if you are behind them.
School buses are a safe and effective way to transport students to and from school and extracurriculars. The government and bus drivers are doing their best to keep kids safe. It is imperative that all drivers do so as well. If you see a school bus slowing down or the flashing lights, stop and allow the next generation to safely get to and fro their education building.
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