The Yellow Bus
The haunting yellow figure of the colossus bus taunts you with its flashing red light halting stop. All you can see is cars zoom past with piercing sounds of your child’s voice screaming for help. Their eyes once full of life are grabbed by deaths palms and ripped away without any warning.
School buses are designed to be a safe method of transportation for children to and from school. Halton Police have noticed a rise in impatient drivers who fail to abide by the ruled stop sign increasing the risk of danger for our most precious cargo yet — children.
Failing to stop for a school bus can result in a fine of up to $4000 dollars and six demerit points. However, it does not seem like enough to pause countless commuters at school bus pick-up zones.
Not all children are as attentive as others. Kids who have special needs are at a higher risk of injury from reckless drivers. Therefor, it is of upmost importance that all drivers pay attention and come to a complete stop.
Naomi McEwan, a bus driver for kids with special needs emphasized how many cars fail to stop, “one, two, three, sometimes even more just ignore the sign as if it’s invisible — meanwhile I’m the one responsible for these kids safety upon arrival and departure from school and that jeopardizes it.”
April Vitalei, a mother of two who has a 12 year-old son with severe ADHD expresses her concern with the issue and how she doesn’t feel safe letting her kid take the bus anymore.
“The one thing I trusted more than ever was the transportation on a school bus, especially with my son’s ADHD,” Vitalei said continuing to state that, “the bus drivers are phenomenal with making sure your kids get to school safe, but knowing that people are not stopping is alarming.”
Vitalei explained that there is only so much you can do to ensure your child’s safety before putting it into the hands of someone else.
“If I can’t trust the people on the road, how am I supposed to trust that my child is going to get on and off that bus okay?” she exclaimed.
Daniel Vitalei, April’s son summarized that his mum has taught him all the safety rules for the road claiming that, “[he] make[s] sure to check both ways before crossing, but sometimes even with the stop sign out you can see the cars speed up to pass the bus so they don’t have to wait behind us.”
The law enforces that vehicles should come to a complete stop when the school bus stop sign is pushed out and stationary and children are top priority when it comes to safety.
Drivers whom rebel against a solemn law are the ones who need re-educated on how to abide by it. The well-known word “stop” has become the new “go” for many thoughtless, insensible individuals and it is wearisome for parents.
A nightmare will never be awoken from when a parent loses a child over somebody else’s recklessness and thoughtlessness. They will be engulfed and swallowed into a world where they never thought that their last words “good-bye” would become their new reality.
