Safety first
Drivers must stop when buses load, unload
By LISA CARNLEY Staff Writer

With 40 school buses on the road each weekday, Lampasas Independent School District Director of Transportation Steve Stripling has his work cut out to ensure that hundreds of students are delivered safely to and from campuses every day.

And to help in that effort, Stripling asks for cooperation from residents driving the highways during the peak bus traffic times.

The biggest obstacle to students' safety is vehicles that pass buses while they are loading or unloading, he said. And U.S. Highway 190 traffic is the biggest problem.

"The law states that unless there is an improved barrier (such as a concrete or other fixed barrier) on the highway, traffic moving in either direction must stop for bus loading or unloading," said Stripling.

"A left-hand turn lane is not considered an improved barrier."

Any bus discharging students will have its flashing red lights on to indicate that drivers heading in either direction must stop.

"That means all five lanes of traffic have to stop," said the LISD official.

Constable Gordon Nelson is a fixture along U.S. 190. He follows school buses each day and stops those drivers who don't pay attention to the laws, Stripling said.

Nelson said hefty fines await drivers who pass a school bus with its red lights flashing. A first offense can cost from $200 to $1,000, while a third offense can have more stringent penalties, the constable noted.

Early in the school year Nelson said he tends to be more lenient with drivers, but with school in full swing, that is no longer the case.

"People think that the yellow lights on a school bus are like those on a stoplight," said Nelson. "When they see the yellow lights, they try to speed up and pull around before the red light comes on. Most of the time, they don't make it.

"When the lights come on, slow down and get your vehicle under control," he said.

The constable said his presence is a good deterrent for drivers who attempt to pass buses. "But there are always those who don't realize they have to stop no matter which side of the highway they are on."

Nelson said students exiting buses are ready to get home at the end of the day, and they don't always pay attention when they exit.

"There are a lot of little kids on these buses, and they just jump off once the bus stops. You don't know if they are going to run in front of the traffic, and some of the older kids run across the highway to check their mail. It can be very dangerous."

Nelson said he doesn't like to write tickets. "But people need to be aware that we are out there, and we will write them. If you see a school bus with its lights on, just stop."

The constable said several residents have contacted him with similar concerns about FM 580, and he plans periodically to patrol that road in the mornings.

Stripling said student safety is uppermost in everyone's mind. "We do our best to make sure the students are safe.

"We do not allow them to cross the highway," he said. "Our buses let students off on the right side of the highway and then the left side of the highway on their way back into town. Students do not walk across the highway. That's why it may take so long for some kids to get home in the afternoon."

Stripling said safety is a concern on all major roadways -- U.S. 281, FM 2808, FM 2313 and other heavily traveled highways -- and the public can help by observing bus lights. When the amber lights of a bus begin flashing, "that should indicate to everyone that it is preparing to stop."

"Our drivers turn their amber lights on about 300 feet prior to stopping. That's about a football field-length, and that allows drivers enough time to know the bus is get- ting ready to stop," the transportation director said.

The red lights do not come on until the bus is fully stopped and the door is opened. Drivers should be at a complete stop on both sides of the highway until the bus lights are turned off and it begins its route again, said Stripling.

"U.S. Highway 190 is our most safety-sensitive route. There is a high level of truck traffic. On the average, about two to three cars pass our buses each day when our unloading red lights are flashing."

Stripling said peak bus times are 6:30-7 a.m., and again from 3:45-4:45 p.m., though there may be a few stragglers still on the road that drivers should watch for, he added.

Lampasas ISD will observe National School Bus Safety Week Oct. 22-26. During that week, Department of Public Safety troopers will ride school buses on U.S. 190, he said. Troopers will be in radio contact with patrol cars in the area and will identify cars that run through bus red lights. Tickets will be issued to violators.

The danger when vehicles pass buses loading or unloading students is very real, said Stripling. A recent accident on U.S. 190 where a vehicle was rear-ended while stopped for a bus underscores the danger.

Said Stripling: "We just want everyone to be cautious when out on the roads. Please pay attention to the flashing lights on our buses. Just stop. It's the law."