Siloam Springs Schools are back in session starting today, Aug. 15, and buses are back on the road.
Transportation Director Steve Avery would like to remind drivers that it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus with red warning lights flashing, no matter which lane the driver is in. Statewide, the Arkansas Department of Education is continuing its annual "Flashing Red, Kids Ahead," campaign through the month of August to remind drivers to be more careful, according to a press release from the organization.
Avery said the Siloam Springs School District has updated the video systems on all of its buses to include high definition cameras in the front, back and sides of the bus, including a camera that is specifically designed to catch passing drivers on the side of the bus. The buses also have updated interior cameras.
The exterior cameras can get high definition photos of license plates and drivers who pass the bus, which will help prosecute offenders. Drivers can be fined up to $1,000 and lose their license for a year for passing a school bus, Avery said.
"Our law enforcement, at the county, city and state level, support and really follow up with issuing citations and prosecuting (for illegal passing)," Avery said. "Our local prosecutor has done a really good job of prosecuting those cases."
Illegal passing is an especially serious problem along Arkansas Highway 59, Avery said. Drivers don't seem to be aware that even though the highway is five lanes wide, all lanes of traffic are still required to stop for the bus. Last year, 36 cases of illegal passing were prosecuted along that stretch of road alone. Fortunately, the district does not have to make any stops on U.S. Highway 412, he said.
Passing stopped school buses is a problem statewide. In just one day, April 24, there were 857 instances of illegal passing across the state, according to an ADE survey. The number was up from 726 instances during the 2017 survey and 607 in 2014.
Loading and unloading at bus stops is the most dangerous time for students, Avery said. Buses carry children as young as 5 years old, and students can be unpredictable. For example, if a young child dropped a paper that blew across the road, they might run after it without thinking, he said.
"You never can tell how a kid is going to react or what a kid is going to do so that's why it's so important to have the whole road locked down until that child gets to safety. Our drivers are trained to check mirrors and do those things before they ever discharge a student, but still, it can happen that quick," Avery said, snapping his fingers.
There will also be some changes to the district's routes this year that drivers should be aware of, Avery said. The recent completion of the railroad overpass on Cheri Whitlock Drive has enabled the school to move the majority of bus traffic off of U.S. Highway 412. Additional changes have also been made to the routes to make them more efficient and to ensure the youngest students spend the least amount of time on the buses possible.
General News on 08/15/2018