A growing problem: police, school bus officials tell drivers to watch for stop signs

Thunder Bay - Thunder Bay police and local school bus officials have a straightforward message for drivers: stop when the school bus extends its stop sign.

Craig Murphy, manager of the Thunder Bay Student Transportation Services Consortium, which oversees school bus services in the area, says drivers ignoring the signal - which means at least one child is boarding or disembarking - is becoming a serious problem.

He says that based on reports submitted by school bus drivers so far in the 2024-25 school year, 7.7 drivers per day ignore the bus's stop sign and flashing lights. He says that number shows a steady upward trend over the past few years, but ultimately, since it is based on incidents reported by bus drivers, the actual number could be much higher.

Speaking about the possibility of a tragic incident, he said: "With the escalation over the past few years and the number of times these incidents have occurred, the question is no longer whether it will happen, but when."

"I certainly don't want to stand here at some point in the future and discuss with you a young child being seriously injured or losing their life because someone wasn't paying attention or chose to ignore school bus stopping laws."

Murphy, Thunder Bay Police Service traffic unit Const. Tom Armstrong, and Darryl Piaskowski, general manager of Iron Range Bus Lines, all spoke to reporters at a media event on Wednesday to specifically express their concerns.

Armstrong said police are on the lookout for drivers who ignore school bus regulations.

He said certain streets in town see this more often, with Dawson Road being a particular problem area because children cross live traffic in a 70 km/h zone. He also noted Golf Links Road, James Street, Oliver Road, and other major streets see it too.

However, he said an increasing number of incidents are also occurring on quieter residential streets and even semi-rural roads.

"It's a bit illogical that people don't stop for these buses, and it's a real safety hazard," Armstrong said, adding that police are conducting targeted enforcement in specific areas, and noting that if someone can provide enough details or video evidence, police can charge the driver or owner of the offending vehicle.

He said the penalty is a fine of less than $500 and three demerit points.

He said school buses flash yellow lights before deploying the stop sign to give other drivers a heads-up. As soon as the stop sign and stop arm appear, all vehicles behind the bus and approaching vehicles must stop.              

"We just want people to recognize the seriousness of their actions, take their driving seriously, and look after these young children," he said.

For Piaskowski of Iron Range Bus Lines, the fact that these incidents are so common is a problem.

"I think it's disappointing that when an incident happens, people aren't surprised," he said. "It's something you hear every day in dispatch - radio calls describing vehicles and where the incident happened."

Source:  https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/a-growing-problem-police-school-bus-officials-telling-motorists-to-heed-stop-signs-10226838