As students in Indiana and several other states head back to school this week, the Indiana Department of Transportation (DOT) and Indiana State Police (ISP) are reminding motorists to take extra precautions to avoid accidents involving schoolchildren.
This means watching for children who are waiting at school bus stops and boarding or exiting yellow buses and other vehicles (school vans, taxis, passenger vehicles, etc.) in school zones, especially in the early morning. Many children get on the school bus in the pre-dawn hours, so it can be difficult for drivers to see them in the dark.
Any time a school bus is stopped with a stop arm extended and warning lights flashing, drivers are required by Indiana law to stop. School bus stopping laws vary by state but this is the general rule for motorists, except in certain instances such as a divided highway. In Indiana, disregarding a school bus stop arm is a class B misdemeanor punishable with up to 180 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Speed limits are significantly lower in school zones as children are walking to and from school, and school buses are exiting and entering the road. Signs are posted to alert drivers when they enter a school zone.
Troopers will have zero tolerance for anyone ignoring a school bus stop arm or speeding in a school zone, the ISP stated. In recent months, numerous states have passed laws to allow cameras to be mounted on the outside of the bus to record such violations.
To better protect schoolchildren traveling to and from school, here are some key reminders for drivers:
- Slow down and be especially alert in the residential neighborhoods and school zones.
- Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.
- Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.
- Watch for children on and near the road in the morning and after school hours.
- Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings. Put down your phone and do not talk or text while driving.
Every year about a dozen children are fatally injured as pedestrians in the loading and unloading zone around school buses, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But, for the 2009–2010 school year, School Transportation News found twice as many student deaths at or near the school bus stop as the 13 student fatalities reported by the Kansas State Department of Education. For the 2010–2011 school year, the Kansas agency reported a decrease in student fatalities around the school bus.
