CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Kanawha County Schools spread the word about bus safety Monday afternoon for students and drivers alike before school begins next week.
The event, which was held at Emmanuel Baptist Church on the West Side, aimed to not only educate students about bus safety but also make parents and drivers aware that school buses will be back on the roads soon.
“It’s the first year we’ve done it. School starts next Monday, it’s important to get the word out there that school’s getting ready to start,” said Kanawha County Schools Transportation Director Brette Fraley. “We brought the bus out into the community which we hope to do more in the future. Bring the kids out and show them the safety aspects of the bus.”
One of the new safety features of the bus was an extended stop arm. With too many instances of vehicles passing busses, Fraley said the arm will hopefully be a reminder for drivers to stop and not pass.
“In a given day the state will see anywhere from 300 to 500 instances where someone will run the stop arm, which means kids are loading and unloading,” Fraley said.
He said he thought drivers know the law but are distracted by cell phones, eating or drinking or something on their minds. Nitro Officer Ray Blake agreed drivers have to pay more attention.
“You’re getting to that time of the year where school is starting and you want to raise that awareness again,” he said. “Bottom line is that if you’re a driver, you have to pay attention at all times.”
Blake also said it was a good idea to make sure students have a safety first attitude when getting off the bus.
“Not only does the driver have to pay attention, but as a student you have to pay attention getting off the bus,” Blake said. “A lot of times they’re excited and they’re happy to be home from school, and they just run to their mom and dad at the bus stop. But they’re not really paying attention.”