Para educator Barbie Bartow walks Watson Elementary School
preschoolers to the bus as they are dismissed for the day
Thursday at the school.
Keeping children safe while getting on or off a bus is the focus of National School Bus Safety Week, which ended Friday.
Studies have shown that the most dangerous part of a school bus ride is when the children get on or off the bus, according to the Nebraska Safety Center.
Linda Hepler, who has been a bus driver for 13 years, has been shocked by some of the things she has seen other motorists do around a school bus. Whether cutting a bus off or ignoring a stop arm sign, she said it can put children in danger.
“You would think people would be more cautious around us,” said Hepler, who drives school buses for Hastings Public Schools. “You have the most precious cargo in the world.”
One of the most common violated laws is the requirement for motorists to stop when a bus stop arm is extended. This applies to vehicles that are following a bus or oncoming in the opposite lane, unless the road is separated by a median.
To read more, see Saturday's Hastings Tribune or the Tribune e-edition.>>>
