By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
So far this school year, 20 vehicles have passed school buses stopped for students in the Bowling Green School District. Last school year, there were 72 incidents when cars failed to stop.
That’s unacceptable, according to local school and law enforcement officials.
“Anytime we’re picking up or dropping off kids, and running the red lights, it’s serious,” said Toby Snow, transportation director for the school district.
So the school district and Bowling Green Police Division are teaming up to get drivers to pay more attention and obey the law.
“The city has zero tolerance,” Snow said. “We’re just trying to figure out how to curtail the red light running.”
All of Bowling Green’s 28 school buses are equipped with cameras able to take clear photos of license plates of passing vehicles. But in order to prosecute the cases, the bus drivers must also be able to describe the person behind the wheel.
Of the eight drivers charged in October, seven were successfully cited, according to Bowling Green Police Lt. Dan Mancuso.
The school district is looking into installing cameras in the front of the buses to aid in identifying offending drivers, Snow said.
The police want to remind people of the damage a vehicle can cause to a child.
“Anytime you have a car against a pedestrian, it’s going to be severe,” Mancuso said. “They aren’t paying attention since they’re kids.”
That’s why it’s up to drivers to be more aware during the times right before and after school.
“People just aren’t paying attention,” Mancuso said. “Don’t be in a rush. We’re trying to protect the kids coming and going to school.”
Drivers should not wait till the bus stop sign is out and the red lights are on before they slow down, Snow said.
“If a bus is slowing down and the yellow lights are on, you should just automatically be ready to stop,” Snow said. “Anytime we’re picking up and dropping off, you have to pay attention.”
In Ohio, if a school bus is stopped on a street or road which has fewer than four lanes, all traffic approaching the bus from either direction must stop at least 10 feet from the bus and remain stopped until the bus begins to move. This rule does not apply if the bus is on the opposite roadway of a divided highway.
During National School Bus Safety Week in October, law enforcement officials from across Wood County joined to promote school bus safety. This collaborative effort, called “Operation Big Bird,” was created to bring awareness and promote safety of children who ride buses to and from school.
The multi-agency initiative involved school districts of Bowling Green, Eastwood, Elmwood, Lake, Northwood, Otsego, Perrysburg and Rossford.
Bowling Green police plan to continue following school buses throughout the school year and making “Operation Big Bird” a quarterly initiative to remind the public about bus safety. That may include officers in plain clothes and in unmarked vehicles keeping an eye out for bus violations.
“If we could scare them into thinking that would be great,” Snow said of motorists..
Efforts are also being made statewide, with State Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, introducing a bill to increase fines for offenders.
The bill doubles the fine for drivers improperly passing a school bus. For repeat offenders, the fine will increase $250 and include a rise in the level of driver’s license suspension for each violation. The legislation will also enhance the penalty for vehicular homicide or vehicular assault if the offender hits or kills a student as a result of improperly passing a school bus.
