Bus Safety in Focus as New School Year Begins
Ohio County Schools bus driver Renee Ellis poses in the driver seat of her school bus while talking about its features, such as air conditioning and cameras, on Friday outside of Triadelphia Middle School.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Ohio County Schools and the Wheeling Police Department remind motorists to heed the red flashing lights on schools buses and stop this school year. From left, bus driver Renee Ellis, Ohio County Schools Transportation Director David Crumm, Wheeling Police Department Lt. Josh Sanders and bus driver Brian Beckett stand in front of a school bus at Triadelphia Middle School on Friday.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
New brighter LED lights flash on the stop sign arm that swings out from a stopped Ohio County Schools bus on Friday at Triadelphia Middle School.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Ohio County Schools bus driver Renee Ellis drives her bus onto the Triadelphia Middle School driveway on Friday afternoon.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Ohio County Schools bus driver Renee Ellis poses in the driver seat of her school bus while talking about its features, such as air conditioning and cameras, on Friday outside of Triadelphia Middle School.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Ohio County Schools and the Wheeling Police Department remind motorists to heed the red flashing lights on schools buses and stop this school year. From left, bus driver Renee Ellis, Ohio County Schools Transportation Director David Crumm, Wheeling Police Department Lt. Josh Sanders and bus driver Brian Beckett stand in front of a school bus at Triadelphia Middle School on Friday.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
New brighter LED lights flash on the stop sign arm that swings out from a stopped Ohio County Schools bus on Friday at Triadelphia Middle School.
Photo by Shelley Hanson
Ohio County Schools bus driver Renee Ellis drives her bus onto the Triadelphia Middle School driveway on Friday afternoon.
Photo by Shelley HansonTrending
WHEELING - If you see the red lights flashing on the school bus, that means stop for the safety of children.
Ohio County Schools officials and the Wheeling Police Department want to remind motorists to follow that rule with the new school year just around the bend.
Ohio County Schools Transportation Director David Crumm and bus drivers Renee Ellis and Brian Beckett showed off some of the new lights and safety features on the district's buses on Friday outside of Triadelphia Middle School.
Crumm said additional flashing lights have been added to the buses' stop signs and signage above the windshield to help alert motorists.
"All of the lighting on the front and back of the bus are new brighter LED lights to let everyone know the school bus is here," Crum said.
He noted the buses also have cameras on the exterior to record any potential offenders.
"If someone runs the red, it is recorded. And they do see in the dark and the daytime," he said of the cameras.
Wheeling Police Lt. Josh Sanders was also on hand at the school, and explained that motorists - even if in a four-lane highway situation - must stop driving while a bus is loading and unloading students. During this time, the buses' red stop sign is out and red lights are flashing.
Sanders noted the only four-lane situation that would allow for vehicles in an opposite lane to move is if there was a divider.
He pointed out, however, that Wheeling has very few four-lane roads with dividers, and children are typically not dropped off or picked up along such highways.
"In the state of West Virginia, it is illegal to pass a school bus that has the red lights flashing," Sanders said, noting the buses also have a stop arm that swings out in front of the bus as well.
Sanders said motorists need to remember to pay attention while driving, especially when they see the buses out and about.
"The most important thing we can do is protect children getting off and on the bus," he said.
Sanders said motorists who pass a bus can receive a substantial fine, can be arrested and can lose their driver's license.
"Why do we take this so seriously? Because children's lives could be at stake here," he added.
Sanders said paying attention means watching the road, slowing down, backing off and not tailgating, hanging up the cell phone and stopping other distracting behaviors while behind the wheel.
Crumm added the bus drivers are happy for another school year to begin.
"We're looking forward to bringing all the students back," he said. "The drivers are excited. We're the first faces the students see every day. We get to help them start their day with a smile on their faces, and we're the last faces they see when they go home."
The first day of class for Ohio County Schools is Aug. 23.