School is underway in our coastal counties, including Lee County. Officials recently issued reminders for parents, students, and commuters on the roads at a transportation safety day at the south bus station off Six Mile Cypress/Ben C. Pratt Parkway.
School buses on the road mean an increased focus on student safety. A big part of that is up to drivers of other vehicles, who must remember to stop when bus lights are on and the arm goes down.
"So here's a simple but important reminder as our buses head back out," said Lee County School District Superintendent Denise Carlin. "When you see that stop arm come out and those red lights start flashing, it means you must stop. The only exclusion to this is when there is a 5-foot-wide raised median between you and the bus.
"And if you're not sure whether you should, just stop."
Plenty of people did not stop last year, and it resulted in plenty of citations. Last December, the school district started using BusPatrol, which uses cameras to video record vehicles that violate those bus safety regulations.
Those cameras transmit the record to law enforcement, resulting in tickets that run $225 each.
"Since we first deployed BusPatrol, the total number of approved citations is 30,232 in our first school year," said Carlin.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno stressed that this isn’t a fundraiser for law enforcement, it’s all about the safety of school children.
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"These numbers are more than stats. Every violation represents a child that could have, God forbid, been hit by a car. Their life could have been taken."
Apparently, anyone cited isn’t likely to do it again. That's according to the school district’s Chief of Safety, Security, & Fleet Operations David Newlan.
"90% of drivers who are cited never do it again. That change in behavior means safer roads around every one of our bus stops."
Donny Wolfe of BusPatrol reinforced that the system is working.
"We measure violations per bus per day and since December and the inception of the program, to May, which is the last full busy month of school, we saw a reduction of 30%.
So I ask all of you, help us amplify the message that this is a zero tolerance county for illegal school bus passing," Wolfe said.
For any drivers who become frustrated because suddenly there are school buses to navigate again, Newlan had some reassurance.
"Our buses and drop-off lanes will be busier than normal on the opening days.
We will have extra police presence out there and principals out helping direct traffic to keep things moving and families safe in the routine of the first two weeks."
The other question parents may have about school buses regards getting children to school on time.
"Last year ... we got our on-time arrivals up to 98%," Carlin said. "And this year, we're only going to improve upon that. We want 100% of our buses on time. And when buses are running late, it impedes our ability to have students in their seat ready to go."
One of the people responsible for that is Farrah Ellis, who’s been a school bus driver for 10 years. She drives elementary and high school students. She was surprised at the number of violations.
"You do see a lot of drivers blowing through the stop signs, through your red stops, you know," Ellis said. "It's gotten a little bit better, but they still do it. You can see them now maybe hearing about it or either receiving a ticket and they pay more attention to it now than they did before."
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