HOUGHTON COUNTY, Mich. (WLUC) - Last year, 1,197 school bus-related crashes occurred in Michigan. According to the State Police Criminal Justice Information Center, 114 of those took place while the buses were stopped with lights flashing.
Operation Safe Stop is a campaign to raise awareness about school bus safety. The Houghton County Sheriff’s Department is getting involved.
“We have extra patrols out working strictly the school bus zones,” said Sheriff Brian McLean. “We’ve checked with the schools as far as their hot spots where they normally may have trouble with drivers passing the school bus.”
McLean says those efforts are all aimed at reducing the number of vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses.
Anytime a school bus is stopped on any road, other drivers are required to come to a stop. That even applies when driving in the opposite direction, and on four-lane roads with no divider.
While it’s up to drivers to follow the law, Houghton-Portage Township Schools Superintendent Doreen Kramer says students are also taught to be careful near the road.
“I remind students that people may not see you, so you also have to be aware of your surroundings and wait for the bus to stop and wait for those reminders of when to enter the bus and when to exit the bus,” Kramer said.
The department is reminding drivers to pay attention and be cautious any time they see a school bus on the road, especially when that bus is coming to a stop.
“When he pulls off of the roadway and the bus comes to a complete stop and the red lights come on and that little stop sign comes out, you absolutely definitely cannot pass that school bus, even if you’re going in the opposite direction,” McLean said.
McLean and Kramer emphasize the importance of staying alert and knowing the signs to watch for to keep students safe.
“It’s really important for the safety of our students that when you see a bus, you need to slow down,” Kramer stated. “When you see yellow flashing lights you need to know that the bus is going to be stopping, so you need to prepare to stop yourself.”
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October 20, 2020 at 05:29AM
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Houghton County Sheriff's Department participates in Operation Safe Stop - WLUC
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