‘Be patient’: Officials urge drivers to obey laws for sharing road with school buses

Nachol Workman has been behind the wheel of Salt Lake City School District buses for just over two decades.

"You get really attached to the kids. You build relationships with them. ... I love the kids," Workman said.

With this attachment comes a genuine concern for their safety. And with the start of a new school year here or right around the corner, the Utah Department of Transportation and Utah Department of Public Safety are urging drivers to safely share the road with school buses.

The two agencies estimate that every year, Utah sees over 100,000 violations by motorists related to school buses.

"You've got drivers that are really impatient and don't want to give us our two- to three-minute time to load and unload the children," Workman said. "They pass our lights and it's a big safety issue."

Workman said that over her two decades transporting students, she's seen an uptick in impatient drivers and drivers flat-out ignoring school bus stops and the flashing lights that indicate all drivers should stop.

The agencies want drivers to know that it is the law to stop and wait until the red lights of a school bus stop flashing and the extended stop signs are completely withdrawn before they can continue driving.

"Drivers have been driving down the roads and not seeing the kids coming to and from school. We haven't seen the buses out and now, this next week or so, school's going to start and we're going to start seeing them," said West Valley police detective Mike Millett. "If you happen to see the red lights come on, make sure you come to a complete stop and remain stopped the whole time the bus is there, until those lights turn off."

Impatient and distracted

Millett said traffic violations related to school buses are "getting worse and worse and it's just continuing."

"This last school year, we could go to a bus stop and sit there every single day and there would be violators every single day. Drivers are just not paying attention and we need that to change. We need to make sure our kids stay safe," Millett said.

Millett and Workman both said they think the issue boils down to drivers being impatient and distracted.

"There's so many distractions inside of the car, they're not paying attention to what's outside of the car," Workman said.

"Drivers need to focus back on what they're doing right now. Pay attention to their surroundings and what's happening right now around them," Millett said. "Look for that school bus, look for what's going on. Let work happen at work. Let home happen at home. Drive in the now."

In Utah, yellow flashing lights at the top of the bus — front or back — indicate the bus is preparing to stop, load or unload children, meaning drivers should slow down and prepare to stop.

Red flashing lights at the top of the bus and extended stop arms mean the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Drivers must stop completely and wait until the red lights stop flashing and the extended stop arms have retracted before they can continue driving — though they should then proceed slowly and keep an eye out for children.

“Be patient. It’s two to three minutes. Wait, just please, please be patient. We’ll get out of your way soon,” Workman said.