We trust buses to get our kids safely to and from school. But what if that is beyond the driver's control? When that red sign sticks out, will cars actually stop to let kids disembark and cross the road safely? This disturbing video reveals that more often than not, vehicles are failing to stop for buses.
Fortunately, police in the US are using new technology to catch the drivers who put children at risk.
An 11-year-old boy is lucky to be alive after he was struck as he attempted to board his bus one morning. He suffered multiple fractures and wound up in a body cast. As for the driver—just a ticket "for passing a stopped school bus and failing to reduce speed."
Even though it's illegal to pass a stopped bus, many vehicles fail to stop. Some don't see the flashing lights in time, others deliberately race past.
In Ontario, some 800,000 kids take the bus to school each day, and though drivers face fines and demerit points for failing to stop, that relies on them being caught. Something that is next to impossible to do.
But a new technology, which has been piloted in Sudbury and North Bay, should make catching drivers who break the law easier. Cameras fitted to the signs are activated once the bus stops, capturing the licence plate numbers of any vehicles that race past. Implementing the technology is expensive, yet aren't our kids' lives worth it?
With full-day kindergarten, little ones who are scarcely visible are riding the bus and learning the rules of the road. Now that my son is taking the bus for the first time, I'm conscious of this glaring safety hazard.
One car that doesn't stop is one car too many. The Ministry of Transport needs to get on this, pronto.
You tell me: Have you seen cars race past stopped buses?
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