PEOPLE, PLEASE STOP FOR SCHOOL BUSES!!!!

[Bigtanker]

Per this article, the above is not completely true.

https://www.wthr.com/article/court-...id-not-realize-it-was-school-bus-hitting-kids

Thanks for posting that. I had a feeling it wasn't accurate which is why I stated that in my post. My reason for posting it was to show what COULD possibly happen and it may have not been some cell phone addicted jackwagon not wanting to wait for the bus.

 

[churchmouse]

I couldn't rep you.

I repped him for both of us.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

And to that point-
Can somebody please tell me the actual law/rule for proper school bus etiquette? Both for the school bus driver and the cars around the bus.

Usually I see buses turn on the AMBER flashers as they're slowing down, then they stop and eventually they turn on the RED flashers and the stop sign comes out.

Before they leave I've seen 2 things happen -
- Stop sign goes in and the RED flashers turn off and they start moving -
OR -
- Stop sign goes in and the RED flashers turn off but the AMBER flashers come back on and then they start moving.

So when you come around a corner and there's a bus stopped with the AMBER flashers, to me, he is about to change to RED flashers OR he is about to move and drive on.

Either way - AMBER FLASHERS = CAUTION, Slow but doesn't mean stop.
Are we suppose to stop when we see ambers and the reds? Are the drivers misusing the ambers?




I bring this up because there was a bus on my street a few years back that was stopped when I came up to it with only the ambers flashing and no other cars around at all, I was coming at her head on (but on the other side) so I slowed and cautiously past her and the second we were drivers window to drivers window, she hit the flashing reds, pulled the stop sign out, honked and screamed at me out her window all simultaneously.

So please - How are the bus drivers suppose to use the amber lights and how are we suppose to react to them when we don't know if they have just stopped or they are about to go.

And yes I have also witnessed buses with the ambers flashing while stopped for at least 5 minutes at a time while she was apparently waiting for something and reading the paper and people were passing slowly around her.

This is from the CDL manual:

• If the school bus is so equipped, activate
alternating fl ashing amber warning lights at least
200 feet or approximately 5-10 seconds before
the school bus stop or in accordance with state
law.

Any use other than this is a violation and the driver could be ticketed. I could not find anything specific to Indiana on this, so it may come down to each district's policy.

It is legal to pass a bus with the amber lights on, but doing so is at your own risk and possibly risking students. If you witness a driver stopped for 5 minutes with their amber lights on, make note of the time, location and bus number, and call them in to the transportation office.

 

[churchmouse]

This is from the CDL manual:

Any use other than this is a violation and the driver could be ticketed. I could not find anything specific to Indiana on this, so it may come down to each district's policy.

It is legal to pass a bus with the amber lights on, but doing so is at your own risk and possibly risking students. If you witness a driver stopped for 5 minutes with their amber lights on, make note of the time, location and bus number, and call them in to the transportation office.

I was behind a bus this morning bullying its way through the back streets with Ambers lit up the entire time. Driver was on her phone and just being an a$$.
I was taking the terrorists to school and just went out of my way to avoid the bus.

 

[actaeon277]

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/7-old-boy...nsylvania-205200281--abc-news-topstories.html
7-year-old boy killed at school bus stop in Pennsylvania by hit-and-run driver: Police

There are actually multiple injury/deaths listed in different areas.



Maybe they need to be on TV telling people they will go to jail.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I was behind a bus this morning bullying its way through the back streets with Ambers lit up the entire time. Driver was on her phone and just being an a$$.
I was taking the terrorists to school and just went out of my way to avoid the bus.

Use of electronic devices is forbidden. Call them in.

 

[churchmouse]

Use of electronic devices is forbidden. Call them in.

I know I should have. If just for the driving. She was being an idiot.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I know I should have. If just for the driving. She was being an idiot.

Get video...it will go further. I've been thinking of getting a dash cam just for reasons like this.

 

[churchmouse]

Get video...it will go further. I've been thinking of getting a dash cam just for reasons like this.

Yeah me too. But another device to deal with....

 

[alabasterjar]

This is going around FB. Not sure how much truth there is to it.



She apparently thought it was a farm tractor. As much as I drive and see these on the road, I could kinda see how the bus could be mistaken for a tractor. Especially in the state of mind she would have been in with her dad having a heart attack......if that's true.

It's tragic regardless. 2 families destroyed. I just hope her punishment is less than some 3 time DUI scumbag that kills someone while committing thier 4th DUI.

Oh well, she thought it was a tractor. Well, that's ok that she kept driving an a high rate of speed through a "long turn" if she only thought it was a tractor. Or a garbage truck. Or some other utility truck. Seriously, this is the defense? Find a picture of her truck and consider the amount of damage on the front end of that truck. Flashing lights, slow the #*-π down! My heart breaks for this, but I feel no sympathy for the driver. There is no excuse for this.

 

[alabasterjar]

Homeschooling

Rep sent!

 

[Dead Duck]

What if anything can we change so this doesn't happen again?

Homeschooling

Rep sent!

88GT would be so proud.....

 

[Spear Dane]

I was behind a bus this morning bullying its way through the back streets with Ambers lit up the entire time. Driver was on her phone and just being an a$$.
I was taking the terrorists to school and just went out of my way to avoid the bus.

It does not sound like you reported that. I would have, in a heartbeat but I have a thing about it. I was in a bus crash in 2nd grade and I remember every detail.

 

[churchmouse]

It does not sound like you reported that. I would have, in a heartbeat but I have a thing about it. I was in a bus crash in 2nd grade and I remember every detail.

Yes I should have. We see this bus about every morning as I take the terrorists (see avatar) to school. I will get video of her idiocy if I see it again.
I have found that anything I say to the school Admin. falls on deaf ears. A room full of woman. Not a gender knock but it is part of the issue.

 

[femurphy77]

I'm not buying this for one second.

https://www.nwitimes.com/news/state...mpaign=LEEDCC#tracking-source=home-the-latest

I too find it difficult to believe that she would mistake a school bus for a farm implement but that's assuming the flashing lights were going when she saw it. No doubt (I hope) they were flashing red when the accident occurred but it's probable between the time she saw the "farm implement" and hit the kids that she was distracted. Yes distraction is not a defense. Just trying to figure out the sequence of events. Not that it will do any good.

 

[BobDaniels]

Thanks for posting that. I had a feeling it wasn't accurate which is why I stated that in my post. My reason for posting it was to show what COULD possibly happen and it may have not been some cell phone addicted jackwagon not wanting to wait for the bus.

Yes sir, anything is possible. I just don't get that she saw the flashing lights, but kept on trucking. Out my way, most tractors and farm equipment take up more than one lane so slowing down is a necessity. I had to chuckle that the fb post said she was freaking out because her dad was in emergency surgery, but the article says she had just dropped her husband off at work and was in no particular hurry.

The whole thing is sad and preventable.

 

[hoosierdoc]

If you see flashing yellow around a curve, during harvest time, in a rural area, I can see how you’d think tractor. Once we’ve decided what we see it’s hard to change gears when our eyes see something different, esp when nervous about dad and maybe a few grumpy kids in the car for being up and out so early.

i can see it. Just sucks

 

[Ballstater98]

I too find it difficult to believe that she would mistake a school bus for a farm implement but that's assuming the flashing lights were going when she saw it. No doubt (I hope) they were flashing red when the accident occurred but it's probable between the time she saw the "farm implement" and hit the kids that she was distracted. Yes distraction is not a defense. Just trying to figure out the sequence of events. Not that it will do any good.

As someone who grew up on a farm, and now operates the occasional farm implementat, there is a courtesy & understanding that gets more and more lost every year. Trust me, farmers are just trying to move equipment from point A to point B and are just as frustrated seeing a vehicle on the horizon or in the rear view mirror. You'll most likely never be behind one for more than 3 minutes. Most people are polite and patient, but I had my fair share of folks flying around me as I start to move over in a safe location or just do that and flip me off as I can see my destination in the distance.

That being said, it's kind of hard to buy this plea because even in less than ideal conditions, these vehicles are still pretty easily identifiable and you still would slow down to assess the situation.

I wasn't there and am not the judge or witness, but it sounds like a lawyer advised her to make that statement.

 

[Ballstater98]

Hobart PD released this:

"Stop Arm Violation Campaign

We are providing local school bus drivers with a new form for reporting violations. We cover 3 school districts, and all will be asked to participate. If they see a violation, they can record a plate number and vehicle description and location on the form. This information will be forwarded to SRO’s and patrol officers to investigate to file charges on the offense. The officers can list the driver as a truthful and credible witness and the law puts the burden of proof on the registered owner to prove it was not them driving the vehicle.

Second, we will put police officers on random buses that are experiencing the most violations. Officers will relay vehicle and plate information to area patrol cars to stop and cite the drivers when violations occur. We will do this because we understand that the bus drivers’ job is difficult enough to have the focus and timing to get a plate number.

Finally, we will focus patrols on areas of repeated violations as reported by the bus drivers. They are the local experts on where these things happen. We already frequently stage officers in areas of complaints from the general public. The problem, at times, is that the violation in that area is so infrequent that the opportunities for enforcement are difficult. In addition, our patrol officers handle 30,000+ Calls for Service a year. Being in the right place to catch these violations can be a challenge.

Bus driver reporting should collect information on 99% or greater of the actual violations. Our efforts on the bus or watching the routes should do the rest. Our goal is voluntary compliance but we will not hesitate to stop you, and take the necessary action to keep the buses safe.

IC 9-21-12-1 Arm signal device; duty to obey; presumption
Sec. 1. (a) A person who drives a vehicle that:
(1) meets or overtakes from any direction a school bus stopped on a roadway and is not stopped before reaching the school bus when the arm signal device specified in IC 9-21-12-13 is in the device's extended position; or
(2) proceeds before the arm signal device is no longer extended;
commits a Class A infraction.
(c) There is a rebuttable presumption that the owner of the vehicle involved in the violation of this section committed the violation. This presumption does not apply to the owner of a vehicle involved in the violation of this section if the owner routinely engages in the business of renting the vehicle for periods of thirty (30) days or less.

(b) A person who operates a vehicle and who recklessly passes a school bus stopped on a roadway when the arm signal device specified in IC 9-21-12-13 is in the device's extended position commits a Class B misdemeanor. However, the offense is a Class A misdemeanor if it causes bodily injury to a person.

I think most people would agree that the penalty for Violating a Stop Arm should be greater but we are going to step up our efforts at enforcement and let the legislature worry about the law. In this effort, we will take a multi-step approach to enforcement, which will have zero tolerance.

Chief Richard Zormier"

 

[HoughMade]

I like the emphasis on what we can do going forward in this thread.

Elsewhere in social media, it's all about anger and outrage or "judge not". Neither will help anything. The investigation will find what it finds, the legal consequences will be what they will be and all the people and families involved will have a horrible time with all of it.

Looking at what can be done to prevent this is a more positive use of time.

Oh, and +1 for homeschooling. My kids generally only have to worry about me...and that's not nothing.