On Monday, Dec. 17, 2018, just after 7:30 a.m. on Icard Ridge Road in Alexander County, a car traveling south crossed the center line and plowed into a school bus bound for West Alexander Middle School. The crash resulted in injuries to 13 students and the bus driver. Twelve of the children sustained only minor injuries, but one student was reported in critical condition. The driver of the car was charged with driving while impaired and crossing left of center.

On Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 2:30 p.m., a pick-up truck ran a stop sign and broadsided a school bus, flipping it onto its side. The bus, a Head Start vehicle, was transporting 15 students and two adults. Thankfully, none of the passengers sustained life-threatening injuries.

I bring these accounts of collisions with school buses to your attention because in about a week, those big, yellow school buses will be on the road again. We all need to step up our vigilance and brush up on our knowledge of traffic laws related to school buses.

Results from a 2014-15 report about a pilot project that used video cameras mounted on the stop arms of school buses are chilling:

“During a one-day count in 2012, North Carolina school bus drivers witnessed 3,196 vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses at 2,299 bus stops. These violations occurred while the buses were stopped, stop arm extended with flashing red lights, and children were in the process of embarking or disembarking buses.

“These one-day school stop arm violation reports have been collected by North Carolina public schools since 1999 and they reveal a persistent problem which exposes school children to danger at bus stops.”

The laws in North Carolina are specific about stopping for school buses. On a two-lane road, traffic in both directions must stop when a school bus stops. On a two-lane road with a turning lane, traffic in both directions must stop. The same law applies to four-lane highways without turning lanes. When a school bus stops, traffic in both directions must stop.

A driver on a four-lane road that has a turning lane and is following in the same direction as a school bus must stop. The same rule applies to highways with four or more lanes with a median. Only traffic following in the same direction of the bus must stop.

GS 20-217 a. provides “When a school bus is displaying its mechanical stop signal or flashing red lights and the bus is stopped for the purpose of receiving or discharging passengers, the driver of any other vehicle that approaches the school bus from any direction on the same street, highway, or public vehicular area shall bring that other vehicle to a full stop and shall remain stopped. The driver of the other vehicle shall not proceed to move, pass, or attempt to pass the school bus until after the mechanical stop signal has been withdrawn, the flashing red stoplights have been turned off, and the bus has started to move.”

Violating this law earns the driver a Class 1 misdemeanor and a minimum fine of $500. If injury or death follows the infraction, then penalties become much more severe.

Still, should we really need a law to instruct us in what is essentially common sense? Who does not understand that when the stop arm is out and the lights are flashing, drivers must stop?

On the first day of this school year, children will be boarding buses. Most will stand near the end of their driveways as they wait. When I think of any of my grandchildren waiting for the school bus, my heart immediately utters this prayer:

“Lord, keep my grandchildren safe.”

I pray not a single child will be injured or killed because someone decides a text message, a phone call, changing a radio station, or running late for work is worth doing something criminal – and deadly.

Please help my prayer come true.

Mike Parker is a columnist for Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.