RCMP are asking drivers to pay attention to
school buses on county highways following an increase
of incidents involving cars speeding past
them as they pick up or drop off passengers.
On Sept. 14 at approximately 5 p.m. on Highway
2 near Township Road 603, a car rear ended
a stopped bus dropping off its last passenger. The
driver of the car was taken to hospital with minor
injuries and no one on the bus was injured.
Westlock RCMP Staff Sgt. Al Baird said it is illegal
to pass a bus that is stopped or has flashing
lights. The penalty for doing so is a $402 fine and
six demerit points on your driver’s licence.
“It’s a matter of being conscious,” he said. “Any
collision with a bus has the potential to be very
serious, especially in bad weather. People need
to be aware, especially at the times before 8 a.m.
and after 4 p.m., that these buses are on the road
trying to bring kids safely home.”
He suggested instead of racing around school
buses, drivers should leave a little earlier if they
know one is on their daily commute.
Paying attention to what buses are doing ahead
of you on the road is also paramount, since they
always turn on four-way flashers and other signals
as they begin to slow down. Giving yourself
enough room to stop and not tailgating buses is
also a sound strategy.
Even when a bus has stopped moving, drivers
should still exercise extreme caution.
“Once a person sees a bus on the side of the
road, they should be very wary for children that
are leaving the bus,” said Baird. “Especially young
children that are harder to see and dart out really
fast.”
“Children aren’t necessarily aware of all the
rules of the road so we have to be watching out
for them,” Baird added. “Those big vehicles can
cause a lot of damage, even at low speeds.
“Even when the buses are departing, be aware.
Little ones could run back out onto the road,
whether it be in town or out in the country. Every
time you’re around a bus that should just send a
signal there could be children around and to be
careful.”
While he noted the detachment has a dedicated
group of officers devoted to traffic patrol, oftentimes
larger, more serious accidents can draw
police away from other beats.
“If people sped less we could spend more time
working on criminal matters, but that’s what happens
when people have vehicles. Some people are
good drivers and some not so good.”
