ROANOKE COUNTY, VA – Back to school means back to the bus stop - but before you hit the road, there are a few things you need to know to keep you and your kids safe.
Thursday morning marks the start of a new school year in Roanoke County - but their teacher isn’t the first person they’ll see on the first day - it’s their bus driver.
“These are the people who are the first faces that our students see every morning, and they’re the last face that our students see at the end of every single day,” Roanoke County spokesperson Chuck Lionberger said.
Lionberger tells us their fleet of over 150 buses drives over two million miles a year.
“It’s a ton of real estate and mileage that our buses cover every year, and our drivers do the most amazing job every year making sure our students get to school and get home safely,” he said.
But safety doesn’t just fall on the bus drivers - but everyone on the road.
“We paint them yellow so you can see them. So please watch out, give them plenty of space. When you see those red lights, please stop,” Lionberger said.
Passing a stopped school bus is illegal.
If you go around that stop sign, you can find yourself with up to a year of jail time, $2500 in fines, and a suspended license.
The only exception? A dived highway.
“An actual, physical barrier separating the two travel lanes. For those cars, those motorists that are in the opposite direction of the school bus, they do not have to stop,” Lionberger said.
But every year, Lionberger tells us there’s at least one small incident.
“If you’re following too closely and then all of a sudden, whoops, there’s a stop, you’re popping into the back of the bus. We don’t want that to happen,” he said.
But if it does, stay calm, and listen to the emergency team on the scene. If there are kids on the bus, they’ll make sure everyone is okay, and come up with a plan to reunite them with their parents.
“Give our school buses plenty of distance, especially if you’re following, plenty of distance, a good 100 feet or so,” he said.
And if you’re a pedestrian, whether you’re a kid or an adult, always go in front of the bus, so you don’t get hit.
“That’s why that arm is there, so you can’t pass so close to the bus that the driver can’t see you,” he said.