AREA SCHOOL OPENINGS CREATE INCREASE IN TRAFFIC

The opening of area schools this week means an increase in foot and vehicle traffic, and drivers need to be on the lookout for children.

School administrators and transportation officials said both children and adults should take extra precautions near schools and school buses because of additional traffic. Limited visibility and congested traffic around school buses can be a dangerous combination as children go to and from school, so everyone should practice basic safety techniques to prevent accidents, they said.

Amy Stewart, national safety manager for Ryder Student Transportation Services, said Ryder bus drivers must complete a comprehensive training program that includes safe boarding and unloading procedures. They are also taught to use all mirrors on the bus to extend their visibility, she said.

Despite this training, however, parents should teach children about the school bus "danger zone," a 10-foot wide area surrounding the front and rear of the bus, said Stewart. Children should stay at least 10 feet away from the bus -- about "five giant steps" -- until it has stopped completely and the driver has opened the door and signalled from them to begin loading, she said. When leaving a bus, children should walk 10 feet away from the bus before continuing to walk home.

"Despite all of the training, safety precautions and specialized equipment, we still need parents' help," she said. "The most important place to learn about safety is in the home."

Dr. Dan Tallent, Cape Girardeau schools superintendent, said building principals have well-defined procedures for staff and students that they share at the beginning of the school year. Because of high traffic congestion at Jefferson and Alma Schrader schools, the district is constructing new bus driveways so that parents may use a separate driveway to pick up and drop off students.

Clippard Elementary School is the only remaining building with a major traffic problem, and construction of a bus driveway is scheduled for next summer, said Tallent.

"At some buildings, the bus drop-off and parent drop-off is at the same location," he said. Even though we've got administrators and teachers out there in force to prevent accidents, that always scares me to death, because you have students that will cross behind and in front of school buses."

Tallent said another area of concern are the many pick-up points along bus routes. The routes are created by Ryder and are typically in safe, well-lit areas, he said. However, it is up to parents to report problems that need to be addressed, he said.

"We want to make sure the bus stop is a safe area," said Tallent. "I'm not aware that we have any in an unsafe area, but we certainly always try to address those if someone brings that concern to us."

Stewart said the danger of an accident is compounded in the mornings, when visibility is more limited. Special warning lights on the buses are used to caution motorists to slow down and stop, and motorists are encouraged to allow extra time so they decrease the risk of school bus-related accidents.

"Drivers need to make a concerted effort to follow traffic laws around school buses and in school zones," she said. "Rushing to work is simply not worth the risk of harming a little child."