In a cooperative effort on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, officers with the Modesto California Highway Patrol and the Oakdale Joint Unified School District partnered to conduct a red-light enforcement campaign.
“Three officers were assigned to the detail,” said CHP Public Information Officer Tom Olsen. “One officer rode on the bus as the driver picked up students. Much of the route was in rural East Oakdale, Orange Blossom Road area. The other two officers remained in the area and made any necessary enforcement contacts with the direction of the officer on the bus.”
Once the students were all dropped off, the driver repeated their route until the operation concluded.
The enforcement operation focused on motorists who failed to stop for a school bus with its flashing red lights activated and stop arm extended, if equipped with one.
The officer on the bus was in communication with CHP patrol vehicles in the proximity of the school bus. Drivers who were observed illegally passing the school bus during the safety operation were subsequently stopped by an officer and issued a warning or traffic citation.
The project is designed to educate and remind motorists, parents, and students of the importance of school bus pedestrian safety.
The CHP reminds all drivers:
When school bus red lights are flashing, there is no passing. Children are either entering or exiting the school bus. You must stop from either direction until the children have safely crossed the street and the lights stop flashing.
Yellow flashing lights on a school bus are a warning to slow down and prepare to stop.
If a school bus is on the other side of a divided or multilane highway (two or more lanes in either direction), you do not need to stop.
Be alert when children are standing at a school bus stop. Children are often unpredictable and may dart out in front of traffic, not recognizing traffic hazards or risk. Slow down and use extra caution when pedestrians are present – especially in school zones, and before and after school.
Parents are an important part of traffic safety education. Children need to learn to be safe pedestrians as they walk to and from school and the school bus.
Here are some tips to keep your students safe:
Arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes early and stand ten feet away from the road.
If children must cross the street to get to the bus, remind them to wait for the bus driver to signal it is safe to cross. Do not get on or off the school bus until the bus driver says it is safe to do so.
If you miss the bus, do not run after it.
Do not let your child play running games, or push, or shove at the bus stop.
When walking, practice good pedestrian behavior and walk on the sidewalk, if there is one. If there is no sidewalk, walk single file, facing traffic, and stay on the shoulder as far off the road as possible.
Remind children to look to the right before they step off the bus. Drivers sometimes try to pass buses on the right.
Before crossing the street: stop; look left, right, and then left again. Cross at corners, crosswalks, or intersections wherever possible. This is where drivers expect to see pedestrians.
“The message behind the detail is to remind the public you never know when an officer may be on a school bus. Motorists must stop for school buses that display flashing red lights and a stop sign,” Olsen reiterated. “The CHP takes these types of violations very seriously. It is imperative motorists follow the law. We owe it to our children.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
