The West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) urges drivers to stay vigilant as children return to school.
Local law enforcement will target motorists who disregard traffic laws, including speed limits in school zones, yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks and improperly passing school buses with flashing lights and extended stop arms.
GHSP offers these safety tips to help protect students on West Virginia roadways:
- Slow down and watch for children near bus stops.
- Obey school zone speed limits and watch for children walking in the street, especially in neighborhoods without sidewalks.
- In school zones, be aware that students may focus on getting to school rather than observing traffic.
- Stay alert for children who may dart into the street to catch a bus.
- When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, look for students walking or bicycling to school.
- Yellow flashing bus lights indicate a stop to load or unload students. Slow down and prepare to stop.
- Red flashing bus lights and extended stop arms mean the bus is stopped for students to get on or off. Drivers must stop and wait until the lights stop flashing.
“We encourage motorists to be especially vigilant around school zones and stopped school buses,” GHSP Director Jack McNeely said. “Illegally passing a school bus not only carries legal consequences, but it could also be a matter of life and death for a child.”
“Please slow down and exercise extreme caution when driving near schools or school buses. Remember: Red Means Stop. Be safe and know the danger zone,” McNeely concluded.
Recent NHTSA data reports that 104 people died in school-transportation-related crashes in 2022. Between 2013 and 2022, over 1,000 people died in such crashes, including 198 children age 18 and younger. Of these children, 40% were occupants of other vehicles, 38% were pedestrians, 18% occupied school transportation vehicles, 3% were bicyclists and 1% used personal devices such as skateboards, scooters and wheelchairs.
Contact the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program at highwaysafety.wv.gov or call 304-926-2509.
