“Keep our kids safe,” Missouri State Highway Patrol emphasizes bus safety ahead of school starting

“Keep our kids safe,” Missouri State Highway Patrol emphasizes bus safety ahead of school starting

OZARK, Mo. (KY3) - Many students are heading back to the classroom, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol is emphasizing the importance of driver awareness around school buses. Last year, the Highway Patrol says in Missouri, there were 871 crashes involving school buses.

“Any time you see a school bus, you need to know that there are students who most likely are going to be on that bus. So you need to be aware at all times,” said Anthony Hatfield, the transportation director with Ozark Public Schools.

Routes to and from work are about to change as kids head back to class; however, the easiest rule of thumb about knowing when to stop for a bus is if you’re following that bus and it stops, so do you.

“If you’re going in the opposite direction of a bus, you also have to stop unless you are on a roadway that’s more than four lanes. Like it’s four lanes and something’s dividing them. So be that a median, a hard barrier, or a center turn lane,” said Crpl Sam Carpenter with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. “But we do expect you to proceed with caution because kids will be kids.”

Ozark Public Schools also works with bus drivers so they can teach students how to be safe when entering or exiting the bus as part of the district’s “student management” course.

“We learn about the danger zone that is 10 feet around the school bus. And so our drivers teach that to the students, saying they need to walk away from the bus, and the bus is not to pull away until the kids are 10 to 12, 15 feet away from the bus itself,” said Hatfield.

Last month, a bill was signed into law, imposing harsher penalties on drivers caught passing a stopped school bus. So if you see that yellow arm down or red lights, don’t pass.

“Around the school zones, please slow down,” said Carpenter. “The speed limits are already reduced. Be aware that that’s happening and just take your time. Allow more time to get to your destination, but the primary goal is to keep our kids safe.”

Parents are encouraged to talk to their student about bus safety, and also be prepared for the change in traffic patterns as another school year begins.

“Because bus safety just doesn’t stop at the beginning of the year. It has to go through all year long,” said Hatfield.

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