North Dickinson Schools hold safety course
FELCH -- Think back to your elementary school days. Do you remember the school bus fire drills?
School bus safety has grown quite a bit since then. In fact, this week is National School Bus Safety Week.
Do you know the rules? What do you do if you drop something under a bus? How far should you cross in front of a bus? Are you ever allowed to drive around a bus?
"What we find is that if we educate the kids, they go home and educate the parents who are the drivers on the roads who are traveling these roads each and everyday. By educating the students, the drivers become more aware of the dangers around school buses," said Cory Roell, Transportation Coordinator for North Dickinson Schools.
Tuesday's lesson was called "Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop-Arm".
"What they want them to do is if they have to cross the bus--cross the road to get on the school bus--is wait for the stop-arm to be fully extended, look both ways and then cross the road," Roell said.
First graders Hunter and Christina agreed that they did learn school bus safety Tuesday, and when I asked Christina what she'd do if she accidentally drops something under the bus, she promptly responded, "Tell the bus driver!"
The kids get what's going on, but what about other motorists? What are the consequences if you ignore the bus's stop sign? Roell offers this advice:
"If you injure or kill a kid when a school bus's red lights are on, you're going to have a lot more to worry about than a $250 fine and a couple points on your license. The judge is probably going to throw the book at you, because it's basically an act of stupidity."