National School Bus Safety Week Underway

LONGVIEW — Longview police want to remind drivers about school bus safety.This comes in conjunction with National School Bus Safety Week, October 17-21, 2011. During this week police will step up patrols around bus routes.They are also looking into having officers ride school buses to observe violators.If the officer observes a violation, they will then radio to a patrol unit in the area to make contact with the violator based on what the officer on the bus observed.It is a class C misdemeanor offense to pass a school bus while loading or unloading.Drivers ticketed for this offense may have to pay a minimum fine of $334.10.

Police say drivers also need to be aware of the children when they are getting on and off the bus. Authorities say this is a very dangerous time and drivers need to give buses plenty of room to allow for children to get on and off safely.According to police, a good rule to use is to give at least 10 feet around the school bus.They say this allows for the arm to swing out in front of the bus and the children to safely cross in front of the bus.Once a driver sees the lights and sign on the school bus showing, police say the driver should stop and wait until they both go off.Then the driver can resume travel. According to law officers, this gives the children plenty of time to load and unload safely.

Police say drivers should also be aware of bus stops where children may be congregated waiting for the bus to pick them up. According to authorities, this can be a dangerous area for school children because drivers may not be paying attention to the children standing near the roadway.