LIMA, OH (WLIO) - It's National School Bus Safety Week and local officials want to remind motorists of the important role they play to ensure a child's safety.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is stepping up enforcement efforts this week by following school buses and sending additional units to patrol school zones. Drivers are required by law to keep at least 10 feet from a bus that is either picking up or dropping off students. Troopers say they are seeing a rise in distracted drivers violating the rules.
"Lately, it's been distracted driving," stated Sgt. Nicholas Boes, Lima Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. "A lot of distracted drivers have been passing school buses whenever their flashing lights are on and their stop signs are out."
Lima City Schools says evaluations are completed every year for all the students they transport to be ready in any emergency.
"Everything like if I would pass out or something would happen to me how they would handle it. If a fire would happen on the bus, how to deal with the fire and get out safely or if the bus would tip they could get out the side emergency windows, we teach them all that," said Joanne Poling, Bus Plus Driver from Lima City Schools.
School officials say when approaching a bus with flashing lights, the same rules apply as encountering a traffic signal.
"We turn on our ambers first. That warns cars that the bus is going to be doing something different and then when we get to the stop we hit the button for our reds to come out. That means when you see all these lights flashing everywhere, it's for the cars to stop," added Poling.
The theme for this year's School Bus Safety Week is "One bus plus one driver equals a big impact on education".
