The Ohio State Highway Patrol will be participating in National School Bus Safety week which runs October 22 through October 26. This year’s theme, “I See the Driver. The Driver Sees Me!” reminds children to look both ways and wait for the go ahead from the bus driver before crossing the roadway.
Throughout the week, troopers across the state of Ohio will be highly visible, enforcing the law in and around school zones and following school buses on their daily routes. In addition, troopers may be found riding on school buses looking for motorists passing the stopped school bus and other crash-causing violations.
The greatest risk to children occurs outside the school bus, as injuries and fatalities result from motorists who attempt to pass a stopped school bus. Ohio law requires motorists approaching from either direction of a stopped school bus to stop at least 10 feet from a bus loading or unloading passengers. If a school bus is stopped on a road divided into four or more lanes, only traffic driving in the same direction as the bus must stop.
“While school buses remain the safest mode of travel on Ohio roadways, school bus crashes still occur,” said Colonel John Born, Patrol superintendent. “In order to make this school year safe, we need motorists to be patient and never pass a stopped school bus and for children to always wait for their bus driver to signal it is safe to cross the roadway.”
From 2009-2011, Ohio reported 4,946 crashes involving a school bus. During that same time period, troopers issued 1,333 citations for passing a stopped school bus.
For additional information on National School Bus Safety Week, visit the National Association for Pupil Transportation Web site at www.napt.org.
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