Police are urging drivers to slow down and families to review bus safety rules as Clarksville-Montgomery County students return to classrooms, reported Fox 17.
According to the news report, the Clarksville Police Department said many children will walk, bicycle, or ride school buses to school. Motorists should avoid distractions, watch for children crossing streets and obey school-zone speed limits, flashing lights and directions from crossing guards and officers.
Tennessee law reportedly requires drivers to stop when a school bus displays flashing red lights and extends its stop arm. On roads without a physical median, traffic in both directions must stop, including on multilane roads such as Tiny Town Road.
Painted lines and center turn lanes do not divide a road into separate roadways. Drivers must remain stopped until the lights stop flashing, the arm retracts and the bus moves again. Opposing traffic generally may proceed only when a physical median or space that vehicles cannot cross separates the roadways.
The article states that flashing yellow lights signals a bus is preparing to stop. Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop. Illegally passing a stopped school bus is a Class A misdemeanor. A first offense carries a fine of $250 to $1,000; later violations carry fines of $500 to $1,000. A driver who passes illegally and strikes someone could face a Class E felony. A fatal collision could result in a Class C felony.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reportedly recommends children arrive at their stop five minutes early and wait 10 feet, or five giant steps, from the curb. They should not run, push, or play while waiting. Children should approach only after the bus stops, its door opens and the driver signals it is safe. They should use the handrail and never walk behind the bus.
To cross, children should move five steps in front of the bus, make eye contact with the driver, and look left, right and left again. If an item falls near the bus, children should step away and alert the driver rather than retrieve it. A driver may not see a child close to the vehicle.
Written with the Assistance of AI.
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