Last year, over the course of three days, five students were slain near school bus stops. The incidents — in Indiana, Mississippi, Florida, and Pennsylvania — drew the attention of the nation to pedestrian safety and distracted driving within America. The latest Joliet Township High School buses are now equipped with an additional feature designed to keep students safe. Stop Arm Violator Cameras are now mounted along Bus exteriors.
These High definition cameras are programmed to capture photos of vehicles that violate traffic laws by passing a bus when the Stop Arm is out.
Upon violation, the school bus driver fills out a violation report and submits it to the police, along with a high definition photo of the violator.
In the wake of these changes, the Illinois State Board of Education published a helpful guide for motorists.
According to this guide, and state law, motorists should stop in the following situations: When a school bus travels on a two lane roadway and stops to pick up or drop off students, vehicles in all lanes of traffic surrounding the school bus must stop.
When a school bus travels on a four-lane roadway with a minimum of two lanes of traffic traveling in the opposite direction, only those traffic traveling in the same direction as the school bus must stop. When being dropped off from their school bus, students should not cross four or more lanes of traffic to reach their residence. Additionally, in the situation that a school bus is traveling down a one-way road and stops to pick up or drop off students, all traffic must stop, regardless of the number of lanes.
Such changes are an important safety reminder for all drivers. Of the students injured or killed in pupil transportation, a majority of injuries and fatalities take place not inside, but outside the school bus
Most of them are struck by drivers who fail to yield to the flashing red lights and extended stop arm. Follow the law and keep our students safe.