Considering the precious cargo they carry, safety is always the highest priority for school bus drivers. However, some other local motorists aren’t taking it upon themselves to be safe around buses.
They call it the “Fly-by” – when a driver passes a stopped school bus that has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended. Palliser Regional Schools Transportation Services Supervisor David Shaw knows they can happen at any speed.
“Could be a slow speed fly by at 10 kilometers an hour, and it could be a driver that didn’t even slow down on the highway and is going 100.”
To try and find out why these “Fly-bys” are happening, Palliser Regional Schools has been recording data on the subject for the past three years. What’s come to light is enlightening.
September and January are by far and away the worst months for the offences, giving Shaw and his staff a better idea as to why they’re happening.
“What we’re starting to see with this program is the fact that when we have a (school) break, we see those numbers spike and I can attribute it to the fact that it’s out of sight out of mind, and when you’re back on the road, surprise.”
But forgetfulness and negligence are not acceptable excuses for bus driver Cassie Marten. The long-time driver has been returning kids safely to their homes for years, and has witnessed many a “Fly-by” in her time behind the wheel.
“That’s where most of my Fly-by’s are – when there’s oncoming traffic and they think, ‘Well they’re not going to cross the road.’ But all it takes is some of their homework flying across the highway, or something.”
Marten can recall one particularly frightening incident when she was letting a student off at home.
“The traffic had stopped, and somebody was not paying attention, it was in a super b. It was coming and coming and all of a sudden it looked up and he saw the parked car, so he had to go on the shoulder, around this car that was stopped for me. So he had to go around and into the ditch.”
Marten doesn’t want a similar close call and is asking for the public’s help.
“Just pay attention to the road and help us out. Let’s get the kids home safe.”
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