PERRYSBURG, Ohio — During National School Bus Safety Week, law enforcement and other safety experts said their goal is to spread awareness and let drivers know the consequences of passing a stopped school bus.
According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the state has seen more than 6,000 school bus-related crashes since 2019, which has led to more than 2,000 injuries.
Sandy Wiechman with Safe Communities of Wood County said driver need to have patience on the roads.
"We are all in a hurry in the morning, or think we need to be in a hurry in the morning, but we all need to slow down watch around us and see what’s around us," Wiechman said. "You don’t know if a kid going to dart out."
According to OSHP, troopers have written more than 16,000 citations for school zone violations and illegally passing stopped school busses since 2019.
OSHP Sergeant Ryan Purpura said drivers approaching a bus are required to stop at least 10 feet away while students get on and off, and he urges the public to stay alert.
"Put down that cell phone, look down the roadway, look out for the yellow school busses," Purpura said. "Just remember the busses are carrying precious cargo: the children of our communities. We just want you to be extra cautious."
During National School Bus Safety Week, enforcement efforts increase to decrease school bus violations.
"You'll see troopers following a school bus around," he said. "Most likely, we will be looking for a violation."
Here's how laws regarding school bus safety work. If the roadway is fewer than four lanes of traffic, all traffic must stop when a school bus is stopped. If a roadway has four or more lanes, only traffic traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop. Violations of this rule include a mandatory court appearance.
"It's so very important because think about what's on that bus," said Wiechman. "It may not be your child, but it could be your neighbor's child, your grandchild, your niece or your nephew. It's precious cargo and we need to pay attention to what we are doing. And do it right."
OSHP said since 2019 there have been 200,000 school bus inspections and every bus used to transport students is inspected before the beginning of the school year and once randomly during the year.