The 2019-2020 school year is upon us and the Parson Police Department wants to remind drivers about school bus safety. Every year children are involved in fatality accidents where drivers ignore school bus signals and drive around a bus with red lights and the stop arm activated. Every one of the fifty states have laws restricting drivers from passing school busses when safety equipment is activated.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has some safety rules for motorist to follow when approaching a school bus:

•    Be alert and slow down when driving in neighborhoods with school zones.
•    Watch for children walking, playing or assembling near bus stops. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
•    Obey the school bus laws in your State, as well as the flashing light signal systems used on school buses.
  •    Flashing yellow lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
  •     Flashing red lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.

Kansas School Bus Laws state the following:

•    You must stop when meeting or overtaking a school bus, church bus or daycare bus that is stopped to pick up or let off children. You must remain stopped until the STOP signal is retracted, and the red lights are turned off. Traffic approaching a school bus in the opposing roadway of a divided highway is not required to stop.
•    You must stop for a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and/or stop arm extended. After the school bus red lights have stopped flashing and the stop arm is no longer visible, watch for children along the side of the road and do not proceed until it is safe, after they have completely left the roadway.
•    You must stop for a school bus when there are two solid yellow lines between lanes of traffic whether the school bus is on your side of the road or on the opposite side of the road.
•    You must stop for a school bus when there is a center turning lane between the roadways, whether the school bus is on your side of the road or on the opposite side of the road.
•    You must stop for a school bus when you are on a multi-lane highway, whether the school bus is on your side of the road or on the opposite side of the road.
•    You must stop for a school bus when you are at an intersection, whether the school bus is on your side of the road or on the opposite side of the road.
•    You are not required to stop if the bus is traveling towards you and the roadway is separated by a median or other physical barrier.

These reminders serve to keep our bus riding children safe. Already this year in Parsons there have been several reports of drivers violating school bus signals and passing when they shouldn't.

Parsons Police want drivers to know that 32nd is a high traffic area for school busses and if there is a bus stopped with its lights on and stop arm out you must stop in any direction of travel or any lane.

Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks says "if my officers witness a driver illegally pass a school bus there will be consequences for their actions. It is not legal, safe or ethical for people to ignore the safety of our communities' children."

Parsons Police Sergeant Jason Ludwig says "I want to stress that the only time a buses safety equipment does not pertain to everyone on the road in the state of Kansas is on a divided highway. There are no divided highways in Parsons baring the Corning bypass so everyone should be watching busses and obeying their equipment. Please think about how your actions would affect you, your family, and the community if you struck a child fatally."

Parsons Police Officers will be cognitive of drivers in school zones and those following school busses.

"We only want our communities' children to be safe. Even one child's death is not acceptable in this community." according to Spinks.

Pay attention to the road, don't text and drive, slow down around school busses and school zones. Be a leader in the community by setting an example for other drivers to follow. 

If you witness someone pass a school bus illegally, please call the police at (620) 421-7060 or 911 in case of an emergency.