The Blake Beat
New bus laws allow wheels to go round fasterTuesday, January 04, 2005 By Stephanie Richard
With several new laws regarding school buses going into effect October 1, school bus drivers and all drivers alike must now pay extra close attention on roads around the start and end of the school day. These new laws compensate for added risks behind the wheel and the increasing numbers of students going to school in the morning. Says junior John McManus, “I think it’s important that laws change as traffic patterns change.” One law doubles the fine- changing it to $1,000- for passing a school bus when its lights are flashing. Another law allows bus drivers to surpass the standard 50 mph speed limit, permitting them to abide by the marked speed limit, if over 50 mph. Junior Meredith Wrightson says of the $1,000 fine, “Making the law stricter…helps the safety of kids and keeps people from being injured or killed.” However, conflicting opinions question the law. Says sophomore Alex Tax, “Doubling penalties for cars…is a ridiculous rule; I’ve never heard of a kid being killed at the bus stop.” Approximately 25 children, however, are killed each year nationwide in school bus accidents. The law aims to make drivers more fearful of being fined, forcing them to obey the rule. Freshman Danny Joiner says, “It will make driving safer because nobody wants to lose $1,000 for not stopping five seconds for a school bus.” Says sophomore Caprice Retterer, “It doesn’t really matter about the speed limit because…they’re usually on residential roads.” Although some buses have exceeded 50 mph, Retterer maintains “they’re never going that fast.” Junior Yasmin Schenkman says, “It is important for the safety of children to implement these new laws.” |