A frightening amount of school bus violations has the N.C. Highway Patrol reeling.
Since the 2019-20 school year commenced in August, there have been nine documented instances of drivers passing stopped school buses in Graham County. Each have occurred in the afternoon, with eight taking place on U.S. 129, in the area of the Rodney Orr Bypass.
“It seems to be inattention,” Trooper Ty Gibbs said.
The issue is not just isolated to this school year. Gibbs added that in a span of just three months during the 2018-19 school year, there were 14 school bus violations in Graham County.
The Highway Patrol noted that drivers may be confused about when and where you can pass a stopped school bus, but Gibbs made it simple.
“If you’re in doubt, just stop,” he said. “If you see a bus and the amber lights come on, it’s time to stop. It doesn’t mean stop when the lights are red; just go ahead and stop when they’re yellow. That’s all there is to it.”
Gibbs added that the only area in Graham County where drivers would not be required to stop for a school bus is in Wolf Creek off N.C. 28, where the road becomes a four-lane highway. In that instance, a median separation means only traffic following the bus must stop.
However, drivers are doing more than simply passing on the other side of the yellow line. Gibbs said impatience seems to also be a major factor.
“We’ve had them coming up behind a stopped bus and getting into a turning lane, then passing the bus,” he said.
Every school bus violation is required to be reported by the bus driver within 24 hours of the occurrence. Cameras on the stop arm provide enough angles to where patrol officers can review the footage and, more often than not, identify the vehicle involved.
“It’s about the safety of the kids,” Gibbs said. “It’s the school bus driver’s job to report it, and it’s our job to enforce the law on it.
“It’s pretty common sense; a school bus is hard to miss.”