September 2011 Gem Lake Newsletter

Home

Gem Lake NewsPage 5 of 6 A School Bus Safety Refresher Course The Ramsey County Sheriff's Department and the Minnesota Office of Public Safety are urging motorists to "see yellow" and be ready to look for school buses and student pedestrians as school resumes. Officials stress that motorists need to drive attentively and be aware of children around school buses, and at all marked and unmarked crosswalks and intersections. Public safety officials remind motorists to anticipate children, especially in a school bus "danger zone," the area around a bus, where most injuries and deaths occur. More children are killed outside of a school bus than inside of it. Officials also ask parents to discuss and demonstrate pedestrian safety with their children and reinforce safe crossing after existing a bus. *Red flashing lights on buses indicates that students are either entering or exiting the bus. *Motorists are not required to stop for a bus if that bus is on the opposite side of a separated roadway (median, etc.) but they should remain alert for children. In Minnesota, school buses make at least 10,000 school trips daily. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest mode of transportation for children. In fact, children are eight times safer riding in a bus to school than in any other vehicle. *Altering a route or schedule to avoid a bus is one way motorists can help improve safety. In doing so, motorists won't find themselves delayed behind a bus, and as a result, potentially putting children at risk. *Watch for school crossing patrols and pedestrians. Reduce speeds in and around school zones. There have been 1,944 crashes in Minnesota involving school buses in the last three years, from 2008 to 2010, about 650 each year, resulting in 12 deaths. Of these deaths, four were children, ages 10-14, who were killed while riding in a bus in the Cottonwood, Minnesota crash in 2008. *Watch and stop for pedestrians--the law applies to all street corners, both marked and unmarked crosswalks. For Children *When getting off the bus, look to be sure no vehicles are passing on the shoulder (side of the road). "Drivers need to welcome back school buses to the road and take extra caution around them," according to Ramsey County Sheriff's Spokesperson Randy Gustafson. "Stop for red flashing lights and when stop arms are extended, both when driving behind a bus and when coming toward a bus." *Before crossing, take five "giant" steps out from the front of the bus, or until the driver's face can be seen. *Wait for the driver to signal that it is safe to cross. The Sheriff's Department and the Office of Public Safety offer these tips: *Look left, right, left when coming to the edge of the bus, to make sure traffic is stopped. Keep watching traffic when crossing. For Motorists *Motorists must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus that is displaying red flashing lights and/or has its stop arm extended. This applies when the motorist is approaching from the rear or from the opposite direction on undivided roads. For more information on bus safety, contact Kiki Sonnen at 651-747-2790.