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School is already in session for most students across the Tri-State Area.
With the beginning of the school year comes a possible change to our morning or afternoon driving routines, as school buses filled with children will be everywhere.
Get back in the mindset of giving yourself plenty of time to get to your destination during pick-up and drop-off hours. School buses might be a little slower and make frequent stops, but the drivers are not out to get you, personally. Their job is to make sure kids get to and from school safely. And they can do that because (most) drivers follow a few rules.
Never pass a bus while the stop arm is extended and the red lights are flashing.
Children may be crossing in front of the bus to get to the other side of the street.
Don't tailgate a bus. You may see the yellow flashing lights too late, despite the driver's best efforts to let you know the bus is slowing down and preparing for a stop.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, children are more at risk when approaching or leaving a school bus than they are on the bus itself. Still, between 2014 and 2023, 113 occupants were killed in school transportation vehicles -- 48 of them drivers, 65 passengers.
In 2023, there were seven school bus-related deaths in Ohio, five in Pennsylvania and one in West Virginia, NHTSA said.
Again, be prepared, be patient and follow the rules. If you encounter a bus with its stop arm extended and red lights flashing, stop.
Do not start your vehicle moving again until the stop arm is withdrawn, the lights are turned off and the bus begins to move. Be a responsible driver -- part of the team keeping our kids safe on their way to and from school.
Remember, too, that school zone speed limits have returned to numerous spots across the region.
Law enforcement officers will be watching motorists who travel through those areas and are ready to cite those who exceed the speed limit, as several drivers who use Sunset Boulevard in Steubenville, for example, were reminded this week.
Those lower speeds are important -- statistics show that about 25,000 children are injured annually and more than 100 are killed each year while walking to or from school.
NHTSA says illegal passing of stopped school buses is a prevalent issue, nationwide. Let's be certain it disappears completely.