pret these lights as “amber flashers.” So as soon as the bus driver engaged his red flashers, the student entered the roadway and was instantly struck and killed by the motor- ist too close to, and surprised by, the sudden engagement of the red flashers not preceded by the engagement of genuine amber ones.
•
In a state where drivers must escort students across the roadway, a driver stopped to discharge a student and, af- ter engaging its red flashers and stop arm, alighted with him and his older brother. Instead of leaving the students on the bus and entering the roadway with his stop sign, after which time he could have directed them off the bus once it was safe, he alighted with the students. Before the group could cross, a car behind the bus that had not re- acted initially to the amber signals cruised through the red flashers — just as the younger student broke away from the pack and ran into the roadway. Tis student sur- vived; his lawsuit was settled for $6.5 million.
MOVING TRAFFIC ENIGMAS Like many in the school bus community, I have often argued
that school buses contain their own “moving traffic signals,” and that these signals account for the widespread compliance of mo- torists who stop to accommodate the loading or unloading of their passengers – most importantly, the crossing of these stu- dents that accompanies it. However, study after study have dem- onstrated that, even in relatively tiny service areas surveyed over short periods of time, thousands or tens of thousands of motor- ists ignore the red flashers and stop arms and pass by school bus- es in loading or unloading mode. Suggestions quoted like “urging motorists” to obey the flashers or that “motorists need to be re- programmed” are analogous to “watch your step” comprising a warning with the clout of “have a nice day.” In Part 2 of this series of installments, we will explore some of
the many reasons that amber and red flashers alone fail to deter pass-bys, even when these flashers are employed properly. n
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