Use caution when sharing road with buses

Last week all local students said goodbye to summer and hello to the 2018-2019 school year. The return to the classroom means the return of another school-year sight: buses are back on the roads.

During morning and afternoon hours when buses are transporting students to and from school, we urge drivers to pray attention and travel safely when sharing Franklin County highways and byways with local school buses.

We know it can sometimes be frustrating if a slow or stopped bus forces you to pause in your own travel plans. We all have somewhere to be, and the scurry and scramble of life can make it seem necessary to speed along, whatever the cost – but the potential for injury or death to a child is a cost that is far too great. That’s exactly what can happen if you fail to be watchful of a bus that is stopped to unload students or if you are driving too quickly to stop when a child mistakenly crosses into the path of oncoming traffic.

Please, don’t take any risks when traveling in the vicinity of student-laden school buses. If the bus is stopping, all traffic is also required to stop, with the only exception being vehicles on the opposite side of a four-lane highway divided by a median.

Students getting on or off the bus might not be watching for you – which makes it that much more important for you to watch for them. Give children plenty of space to cross the road when the bus is loading or unloading, and don’t be too quick to hit the gas when you think they have all crossed – just in case a late student is dashing over at the last minute, or a student finds he has dropped something and turns to go back.

We want all our Franklin County students to have happy, productive and safe school years, both inside and outside the classroom. Please join us in taking care to ensure all students are able to travel safely.