Mike Wolanin | The Republic The stop arms on a school bus are extended on a bus in the bus lot at Columbus East High School for a remembrance ceremony for Columbus East student Lily Streeval in Columbus, Ind., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021.
Next week will include the first day of school for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. and many private schools.
School buses will be back on county roads and city streets and walkers and bike riders will also be on those same thoroughfares in early mornings and afternoons.
After spending the past few months watching the appalling driving behavior of many drivers in Bartholomew County who aren’t following basic driving requirements, it’s time for a wake-up call.
The speeding, running of red lights, ignoring crosswalks, not following four-way stop etiquette, texting and on the cell phone while driving — we could go on and on — needs to stop. For the safety of kids returning to school, the “we do what we want when driving” attitude needs to revert to “I will follow the law when driving.”
Let’s start with a reminder on school bus laws.
In Indiana, it is illegal for motorists to pass a bus that is stopped, with red lights flashing and the stop arm extended.
This applies on all roads, with the exception of motorists who are on a highway divided by a barrier, such as a cable barrier, concrete wall or grassy median — those drivers only have to stop if traveling in the same direction as the school bus.
In 2024, more than 2,000 violations of this simple requirement were compiled by law enforcement on one day in Indiana.
Compliance on this isn’t that difficult — drivers must pay attention when driving near a school bus and stop when the red lights go on and the stop arm extends. This is not an opportunity to speed past the bus under any circumstances.
This compliance also has a relationship with speeding, running red lights and ignoring crosswalks.
Drivers need to slow down, stop when the light turns yellow (not speed up to run it when it turns red) and pay attention to cross walks where students are crossing the street to get to school. It is not the students’ fault that you left too late to get to work and you feel entitled to exceed the speed limit and run red lights to get to work on time.
And as for the common practice of texting while driving in this county — drivers need to put your phones down and focus on driving. It’s actually a law in Indiana — we are a “hands-free” state, meaning drivers cannot hold a phone or other electronic device while the vehicle is in motion, except in the case of an emergency.
School begins on Aug. 6. Please, for the safety of every Bartholomew County student, level up your driving game starting now.
There are lives that are depending on it.
