Transportation safety is big deal at start of school
Daniela Vasquez
Staff writer
8-25-2016
As the school year beings, transporting children to and from school is a concern for everyone from school district leaders to parents to drivers.
Students walk, ride bikes and skate boards, get rides from parents or friends, and many ride school busses.
With school back in session, South Sanpete School District transportation director Ralph Squire said the biggest issue bus drivers face is drivers who fail to heed the yellow and red light signals on the arms of busses.
“Yellow means slow down, and proceed using due caution, and don’t travel more than 20 miles per hour,” Squire said. “Red means to stop immediately before reaching the bus, and do not proceed.”
South Sanpete School District’s 28 busses travel approximately 1,275 miles per school day, and more than 229,420 miles per year.
In the North Sanpete School District, 25 buses travel 1,396 miles per day, equivalent to 248,517 miles per year.
Squire said the greatest risk students face is when they are boarding or leaving the bus, not while riding in it.
“When it comes to school busses, please follow the rules,” Squire said. “Please slow down and follow traffic and safety rules in school zones, and please don’t be in a hurry wherever students might be present.”
Another issue South Sanpete School District faces is vehicles pulling in and out of the school bus zones in front of schools where the line of sight is poor. According to Squire, when picking up students, park in designated zones and never pull into the bus zone.
The North Sanpete School District has created a district policy outlining transportation goals, with the top goal being the safety of students, followed by proper training of school bus drivers.
Squire said no child in the South Sanpete District has ever been harmed while on a school buss, and riding the school bus has historically been the safest way to get to and from school.
