View Full Version : school bus passing...grrr
Kathy@watten
08-Mar-10, 17:04
Having just driven home from Wick today at sort of school kicking out time, I followed the bus from a distance back, and when the school bus pulled over to let kids off, I stopped too. I would never try and overtake a school bus just incase a kiddie louped out and I squashed them, would spoil my day somewhat! Then why do some twits from way back behind me think it's ok to wing it past me and the bus with no regard for the kids, and then whizz into the village (which is meant to be a 30 zone) I for one never want to encounter a child or other road user on my bumper. Rant over!
The Angel Of Death
08-Mar-10, 17:12
So for example if you was to go up round the high school (wick or thurso) would you wait untill all the bus's have left before taking off if you was stuck behind one ?
Whatever happened to looking both ways before crossing the road ? I for one will pass the bus no problems sitting behind the bus at each and every stop is going to cause a line of rather frustrated drivers me thinks
annthracks
08-Mar-10, 17:12
Where was the bus letting kids off?
Why didn't you overtake it at a reasonable speed?
Was there a clear view of the road in front of the bus (ie. no oncoming vehicles)?
:) I understand where you’re coming from Kathy. There have been debates about adopting the American system whereby school buses carry a ‘no passing’ sign that is activated whenever it stops to allow children to alight. However until the law is changed, drivers have the right to continue and pass buses with care. The other side of the argument is that children need to be aware of how to cross the road safely and get use to doing so.
This does surprise me Kathy, and I agree with you, and would do exactly as you did.
I would have thought the safety of a child was more important than the rush, and frustration of a driver .
While this does not always mean the complete safety of children, I prefer our (Canadian) rules of the road for children's safety, concerning school buses, and drivers .
Below, I have copied and pasted the regulations, for vehicles, and school buses.
The General Regulation
School buses are used extensively throughout America and Canada. They are easily spotted by means of their distinctive yellow colour (http://www.johncletheroe.org/usa_can/odds/sby.htm). These buses are used to pick up children from their homes in the morning and drop them off again after school.
When a school bus stops to pick up or drop off children the driver switches on red flashing lights and makes a stop sign extend out from the side of the bus on a folding arm.
If a school bus has its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing then traffic IN BOTH DIRECTIONS must stop, so as to allow children to cross the road safely. Passing a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing is a very serious offence which in most cases will result in the suspension of a driver's licence.
Kathy@watten
08-Mar-10, 17:44
The bus in question was entering the 30 mile an hour zone and was doing a drop just outside the village where the kids have to cross, as driver you cannot see in front of the bus and have a small space before the bridge, I felt it safer to stay behind and wait! the drivers which did pass were too fast for the area and this drives me nuts...it could easily be my kids in few years time!
kevinmiller
08-Mar-10, 17:45
you are more likely to cause an accident by being so hesitant!!!!! you can legally pass a parked bus you know and if the bus is showing a school pupils sign just pass it at a speed you can stop quickly from and be more vigilant when doing so....there is always a reason behind every road rage incident??????
im with you kathy.as the bus was so close to the village why bother to pass anyway?it would have been much easier to pass bus at a crawl in watten. i wouldnt pass either,best to overtake when bus is moving and is safe to do so. i wouldnt imagine a car passing a few vehicles and a bus so close to a bend and village would have been going that slowly to have done so.
maybe the ones on here who disagree dont have kids,or didnt stop to think how they would feel if it was their kid or relative should the worse happen,which it does.
Shabbychic
08-Mar-10, 18:15
I'm not sure this 'not passing school buses' thing is a good idea. It sounds great in principle, but I feel it could lead to complacecy in the schoolkids. They could get so used to this that they just walk out in the road when getting off a normal bus.
Perhaps it would be a better idea to make sure they know how to cross a road properly in the first place. :)
The General Regulation
School buses are used extensively throughout America and Canada. They are easily spotted by means of their distinctive yellow colour (http://www.johncletheroe.org/usa_can/odds/sby.htm). These buses are used to pick up children from their homes in the morning and drop them off again after school.
When a school bus stops to pick up or drop off children the driver switches on red flashing lights and makes a stop sign extend out from the side of the bus on a folding arm.
If a school bus has its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing then traffic IN BOTH DIRECTIONS must stop, so as to allow children to cross the road safely. Passing a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing is a very serious offence which in most cases will result in the suspension of a driver's licence.
this is the best idea,I was amazed when I was in Canada and saw this the first few times,its the best way to keep children safe!As for drivers moaning about the hold up etc-well its people like that who cause the accidents,its only a matter of time before you hurt sombody with that attitude x
I would never overtake a school bus dropping off.
With good reason
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/7971647.stm
Kathy@watten
08-Mar-10, 18:58
I am well trained on road driving and spend many hours at the wheel in a week and as yet have not managed to kill anything or collide with another vehicle, I am aware you may pass a bus if and when safe to do so, but see no need to overtake a bus carrying kids home, it would save me 30 secs off my journey, but killing a child would haunt me everyday for the rest of my life.
I feel exactly the same Kathy, where on earth could anyone be going that they can't wait a minute to ensure the safety of someone else, especially a child.
The General Regulation
School buses are used extensively throughout America and Canada. They are easily spotted by means of their distinctive yellow colour (http://www.johncletheroe.org/usa_can/odds/sby.htm). These buses are used to pick up children from their homes in the morning and drop them off again after school.
When a school bus stops to pick up or drop off children the driver switches on red flashing lights and makes a stop sign extend out from the side of the bus on a folding arm.
If a school bus has its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing then traffic IN BOTH DIRECTIONS must stop, so as to allow children to cross the road safely. Passing a stopped school bus with its stop sign extended and/or its red lights flashing is a very serious offence which in most cases will result in the suspension of a driver's licence.
this is the best idea,I was amazed when I was in Canada and saw this the first few times,its the best way to keep children safe!As for drivers moaning about the hold up etc-well its people like that who cause the accidents,its only a matter of time before you hurt sombody with that attitude x
The response to the safety of children is also very swift. A child was killed a few blocks from where we lived. He had walked in front of the school bus in the drivers blind spot and was fun over. Within months a barrier was installed that came out in front of the bus so children would have to walk around it an always be visible to the driver.
Not sure how you would hit the kids?do they get off the bus and walk in front of it?common sense for them to wait for the bus to pull away so they can see what they are doing properly?
as an american who grew up riding the big yellow busses, i can tell you they are great. you lot up here dont have a clue what its like in bigger places. and yes im going to get blasted for saying that. its true though.. after living here for ten years i have come to the conclusion that as a majority caithness is so secluded that the people live in there on little world. everyone goes on about how things use to be, and that it was good enough for me.. blah blah blah... open your eyes people.. are you really so wrapped up in yourself that you are willing to disregard the saftey of CHILDREN so that you dont have to wait the extra min.?
the reason that children should walk around the front of a bus is so that the driver of the bus can see them at all times and make sure that they have crossed the road safely. if cars didhave to stop and wait this would not be a problem.
our schoolbuses back home have a red stop sign that comes out and tells you to stop.
if you disregard that.. well not only are you an idiot, but you are intentionally endangering the lives of children. children as young as 5 ride buses, from the time they are able to go to school. its not just teens and kids who should "know" how to cross the road.
somepne talked about kids being complacent and not paying attention.. hello.. have you never driven thru the town at lunchtime? or just after 3? they walk across, thru and in the road in packs and never even glance at oncoming traffic.
im well with kathy on this one.. if you dont have enough sence to drive safley and enough patience to let kids get off the bus without jetting around it .. then you shouldnt be driving in the first place. not that half the population can drive anyway..
what is it with this place?
if someone said the sky was blue someone else would argue its green.
geeze..
end rant
Yes, upolian, the children cross in front of the bus .
No, it doesn't make sense for them to cross after the bus has left, because the traffic would be moving again, in both directions .
If you read the regulations again, you will note, when the bus driver has the stop sign out, and/or the red lights flashing, all traffic must come to a complete stop, behind the bus . This allows the children to cross without any vehicles moving in either direction . The traffic can only start up again, when the stop sign is no longer out, and/or the red lights no longer flashing .
Why cant the bus driver wait until anyone behind him has passed before he opens the door or is that too easy?
I am well trained on road driving and spend many hours at the wheel in a week and as yet have not managed to kill anything or collide with another vehicle, I am aware you may pass a bus if and when safe to do so, but see no need to overtake a bus carrying kids home, it would save me 30 secs off my journey, but killing a child would haunt me everyday for the rest of my life.
I feel exactly the same Kathy, where on earth could anyone be going that they can't wait a minute to ensure the safety of someone else, especially a child.
Why cant the bus driver wait until anyone behind him has passed before he opens the door or is that too easy?
Where exactly in caithness is a bus a huge massive hold up that just means the end of the world if you have to wait a minute?
I've learnt by living in ness that you must always make sure you have extra time to get anywhere. If everyone did this then there would be no one get worked up about having to wait a minute for a bus to make sure the kids got across the road safely after getting of. I'm all for the buses that you're not allowed to pass when it has stopped and is letting people of. A child's life is much more important than someone else being a minute delay for someone.
Better five minutes late in this world than thirty years early in the next.
Yes, upolian, the children cross in front of the bus .
No, it doesn't make sense for them to cross after the bus has left, because the traffic would be moving again, in both directions .
If you read the regulations again, you will note, when the bus driver has the stop sign out, and/or the red lights flashing, all traffic must come to a complete stop, behind the bus . This allows the children to cross without any vehicles moving in either direction . The traffic can only start up again, when the stop sign is no longer out, and/or the red lights no longer flashing .
Yes so each time the bus stops to let kids off it acts as a crossing guard as well-Brilliant :D
We should do that.
Yes so each time the bus stops to let kids off it acts as a crossing guard as well-Brilliant :D
We should do that.
Good idea in theory but it only needs one numpty to go through the red light. People do it at traffic lights and level crossings so the chances are its going to happen here.
annthracks
10-Mar-10, 17:48
Good idea in theory but it only needs one numpty to go through the red light. People do it at traffic lights and level crossings so the chances are its going to happen here.
And I've seen the same little red car TWICE go through a red and turn left after passing Bambers, when the Tesco lights have been green to allow traffic out.
You'll need to put good enough cameras in the buses first, to record the culprit/offending driver.
Before that you'll need to find an underworked, overmanned police force who will have the time to deal with it.
We have too much Americanisation over here as it is, why do you think they have a little sticker on their rear view/wing mirrors that says "the car approaching may be closer than it looks"? It's because they don't have the mental capacity to grasp the notion of self blame and will sue anybody at any opportunity. "Oh, I've spilt scalding hot coffee in my lap because I'm stupid enough to try and drive whilst holding it. I know I'll sue McDonalds" etc etc etc yaddah yaddah yaddah
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