Drivers should watch for kids, buses

With school starting today, drivers are cautioned to remember where the crosswalks are and stop when a bus’ red, flashing lights are on.

Charmi Martinez, Sweetwater County School District No. 2 safety coordinator, said with school starting this week, parents and drivers need to pay attention.

“Every time we have a vacation or break it’s almost like they forget about us,” Martinez said. “We have a lot of people running red lights.”

Martinez said it is almost like residents do not know the proper protocols to follow for school buses.

If the bus is slowing down and puts on its yellow, flashing lights that means it is about to stop and drivers need to slow down and stop if they are able to stop. Sometimes, that is not possible for a vehicle if it is beside or just driving by a bus when it puts the flashing, yellow lights on, but for the most part, yellow means slow down and stop.

“We try to be careful,” Martinez said. “We let traffic go first, but sometimes it is hard not to.

The yellow lights are not a signal for drivers to hurry up and get through. She said the yellow lights are a way to let the drivers know the bus is going to make a stop.

“When the bus comes to a complete stop, that’s when those red lights come on,” Martinez said.

The door opening activates the red lights, which will stay on until all of the children have boarded the bus and are safely in their seats. Martinez said sometimes even after the kids have boarded the bus and are seated the red light might remain on because the bus driver has noticed a child running down the street or sidewalk to catch the bus.

As soon as the door shuts, the red lights go off and drivers can go.

“The drivers need to have a little bit of patience,” she said. “They are just little kids and people really need to watch what they are doing out there.”

Drivers who decide to run a red light will be caught on the bus’ outside camera. Martinez said the camera can easily pick up license plate numbers, which will then be turned over to the Green River Police Department.

She said with the video evidence they will get cited.

She also wanted to caution parents who drive to a bus stop to pick up their kids. She said this is fine, but they do not want the parents telling their children when to cross the street. She said the bus driver will motion the children when it is safe to cross the street. This motion will come in the form of a sweeping motion from the bus driver’s arm. They are trained to sweep their arm over the dashboard from one side to the other so the children know it is safe to cross.

Crosswalk safety

GRPD detective Luke Benson said at this time of the year drivers really need to watch those school zones, which have a lot more traffic.

Crossing guards will be at designated crossing areas. They will have a cone in the middle of the street, a vest on and a stop sign in their hand. He said when the crossing guard enters the street a driver must stop. A driver should not proceed through the area until the crossing guard is back to the sidewalk.

Drivers just need to be aware that there will be kids walking to school or riding their bikes to school in the morning and afternoons.

For children walking to school or riding their bikes to school, Benson encouraged them to use the crosswalks. If there is no crossing guard at the sidewalk, they should stop. look both ways, and then cross from corner to corner. Cyclists should always were a helmet and carry a bike lock with them so they can lock up their bike at school. He said. All designated school zones, which are marked by flashing lights are 20 mph zones.

“It may slow you down for a minute or two, but we want to make sure the students are safe,” Benson said.

Another helpful hint Benson has for kids is if they have to cross a street and go in front of the bus to get on, make sure to still look both ways and stay far enough away from the bus that the driver can see them and they can see the driver.

For a complete list of routes and schedules visit the district’s website at http://sw2.k12.wy.us/dist. Once there click on transportation, which is on the left side of the screen and then click on transportation documents. Those with questions or concerns are encouraged to call 872-5590 or 872-5598.