COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – As students return to school, school officials are urging drivers to give school buses space on the road.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, El Paso County ranked third in bus crashes over the last five years.
Jefferson (36)Larimer (29)El Paso (28)
Safe Driving Tips
Yellow flashing lights on a school bus signal drivers to slow down and proceed with caution. Red flashing lights require a full stop, with at least 20 feet of space between the vehicle and the bus.
Colorado State Patrol identified the top three factors in bus collisions as inattentive driving, lane violations, and failure to yield the right of way.
According to the Colorado Drivers Handbook, they advise drivers to:
be alert for students on or near the roadway when a school bus is stopped or approaching themremain stopped until the flashing red lights are no longer operating. Wait and watch for children near the school bus and children crossing the roadway before proceeding.
Harrison District 2 bus driver Neil Buckley said drivers frequently ignore flashing lights when he slows or stops at a bus stop.
“The distracted driving is the big one, right? People are playing on their cell phones, talking or texting. That’s a huge one,” Buckley said. “When we drive the school bus, we don’t have our cell phones, we don’t have any distractions. And with the lane violations, I think they just need to slow down.”
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