Drivers can help kids stay safe on school buses

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Bus drivers do all they can to keep kids safe while taking them to and from school, but they need your help as well.

According to the Department of Education, there were 377 crashes in Virginia involving school buses during the 2014-2015 school year.

According to Mountain Valley Transportation, the company who provides bus service for Roanoke City Schools, the big reason for these accidents is people not paying attention to the road.

"Today, with the texting and lots of distractions, there seems to be more incidents where people are contacting a bus from not paying attention," says Mountain Valley Operations Manager Arne Stensaker.

Another big cause of accidents is people not stopping when a bus' red lights are flashing.

State law requires you to stop when a school bus is loading and unloading, even if the signals are not properly working.