School districts urging public to be aware of bus safety measures

LONDON, Ky. (WYMT) - School administrators are urging the public to become more aware of bus safety measures.

Laurel County Schools installed ‘stop arm cameras’ at the beginning of the school year along with educational announcements.

The cameras give them the ability to capture vehicles violating the law.

“We’re seeing violations, but we’re also seeing people react differently to the stop arms,” said Laurel County Schools Transportation Director Rob Hale.

The violations are reported to the Laurel County Schools Police Department, which is starting to write citations.

“This week, we have started mailing out citations for the people that we have witnessed through the camera system violating the law,” said Laurel County Schools Police Chief Dan Smoot.

Not just Laurel County Schools, but administrators at Floyd County Schools are trying to educate the public on the issue as well.

“Floyd County Schools is having an issue with motorists failing to stop when our buses have their STOP arms out. I do believe that some of those incidents occur due to lack of understand of the laws associated with vehicles in the vicinity of a stopped bus. Nonetheless, whether negligent or not, the safety of our students loading or unloading a bus is often put into question by passing motorists. We need the community’s assistance in knowing the laws and safe driving practices when buses are on the road. When on a two or three lane road, traffic should stop going both ways. On a four lane, only the traffic moving in the same direction of the bus must stop. Basically, buses are large, bright yellow, and have bright flashing lights for a reason; any time a motorist is in the vicinity of a bus, slow down and give as much clearance as possible. We need the support of everyone driving on Kentucky’s roads to help us ensure that every child is safely transported.”

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