BUS SAFETY URGED ON FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Cape Girardeau Public Schools open today, and that means many elementary, junior, and senior high school students will be waiting near street corners to board school buses. Others will walk, or ride bicycles, skateboards, or skates to school.

All of them will be potential traffic hazards to motorists.

Officials of the public school district and Ryder Student Transportation Services, which provides the district's bus service, urge motorists to watch out for the students as they return to school this week, particularly in the early morning hours when visibility is poor.

Jim Englehart, director of secondary education for the school district, said motorists should be especially cautious immediately before and after school is in session, when children are most likely to be walking on the roads near school. The most critical time periods are from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., 11 a.m. to noon, and 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Motorists tend to think children have the same ability as adults to protect themselves from traffic," Englehart said, "but children often do not understand the threat to their safety that motor vehicles pose.

"Drivers need to make a special effort this week, and throughout the rest of the school year, to obey traffic laws as strictly as possible when they are driving in a school zone.

Englehart said motorists should:

- Be aware when schools are in session each day, exercising extra caution during the time just before school starts and immediately after school.

- Obey the posted school speed limits.

- When driving behind a school bus, maintain a safe following distance. Begin to slow down when the bus flashes its amber lights.

- Be aware that state law requires motorists to come to a complete stop when a school bus' red lights are flashing or the stop arm is extended, or both. Drivers should stop their cars at least 20 feet from the bus. This includes drivers traveling in the opposite direction of the school bus. The only exception is when a bus is stopped on a multi-lane, divided highway, at which time motorists may proceed with caution, watching for students who may dart across the road or highway.

- Watch carefully for children, particularly young ones, boarding and leaving the school bus. Motorists should look for children darting from behind or in front of the bus. State law prohibits motorists from attempting to pass a school bus when it is boarding or dropping off children.

- Be aware that school buses will make complete stops at railroad crossings.

- Stop for children in school crossing zones.

- Watch for children walking, or riding bicycles, skateboards, or skates to school.

School bus drivers have been busy getting ready for school, said George Hathhorn, manager of the Cape Girardeau Ryder Student Transportation Services office.

"We've hired and trained our new drivers. They and our returning drivers have had their physicals, plus classroom and behind-the-wheel training the past two months," he said.

Hathhorn said drivers took their buses over the routes Thursday and Friday to familiarize themselves with this year's routes.

Englehart said some last-minute, minor changes in the routes were made at the suggestion of parents and local residents. "That's an ongoing thing that will continue for the next couple of weeks," he said. "Our rule of thumb, which isn't ironclad, is to try to keep our bus stops at least three blocks apart."

Hathhorn said each school day in Cape Girardeau, Ryder will transport about 1,000 public school students in K-12 in 19 buses, covering 60 different routes.

Ryder also transports another 2,300 students in the Shawnee, Egyptian, Meridian, and Cobden school districts in Southern Illinois. Those districts began school in late August.

While cautioning motorists to watch for students, Englehart and Hathhorn also appealed to parents of school-age children to review school-bus safety rules with their children before school begins.

In particular, they urge parents to teach their children to stay out of the "danger zone," a 10-foot-wide area that surrounds the school bus.

Englehart said the majority of serious injury accidents and deaths involving school children and school buses occur in the "danger zone."

"Because young children see a school bus, they assume the driver can see them, so they often try to retrieve objects they've dropped near or left on the bus, and that's a dangerous situation," he said. "Parents should teach their children that drivers may not be able to see them, and that their sweaters and lunch boxes they're running after aren't as important as their safety."

Englehart said parents should instruct their children to remain at least 10 feet from the bus until it has stopped completely, and then board in a single file. When leaving the school bus, they should walk at least 10 feet away from the bus and wait until it has left the bus stop.

"And because the smaller children can't always relate to distances measured in feet, we suggest parents express the distance as five giant steps," Englehart added.

Although each student will receive a list of rules and regulations for riding the school bus, Englehart said the most important place to learn about safety is in the home.

He urged parents to take time now, before the first day of school, to review these safety rules with their children:

- Plan to be at the bus stop several minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Wait for the bus in a safe place, clear of traffic and away from where the bus stops. Avoid horseplay and respect the privacy and property of others while waiting for the bus.

- Never run after a bus after it has left. Chances are the driver will not see a small child who is dangerously close to the body of the bus and could fall under one of the wheels, or be struck by another vehicle.

- When necessary to cross the street to get on the bus, or leave the bus, walk at least five giant steps from the bus to the shoulder of the road and stay there until the bus driver signals it is safe to cross the street.

- Never run back to the bus to try to get something left on the bus, or dropped near the bus.

- When getting on the bus, go directly to a seat, and remain seated and facing forward while the bus is moving.

- Do not block the aisle of the bus with large objects, such as musical equipment or athletic equipment that might block the emergency exits.

- Keep heads, hands, arms, and elbows inside the bus at all times.

Englehart said that during the fall semester, the school district and Ryder Student Transportation Services will conduct safety drills on the school buses to demonstrate how students should get on and off the buses in an emergency situation. Another safety drill will be held during the spring semester, he said.

Englehart and Hathhorn said special attention by parents and motorists may avoid a tragedy when school starts.

"Traffic is going to become a lot more congested in the morning and afternoon hours when school opens. It will be a busy day and week for all of us. But don't forget to think about safety," said Englehart. "After an accident happens, it's too late. Everybody is sorry, but it doesn't help the kids."