News

Actions

Mom records driver zooming past bus, disregarding stop sign

Posted at 9:38 PM, Aug 27, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-27 23:06:32-04

CALEDONIA, Mich. — A Caledonia mother is warning drivers to watch for school buses and protect students throughout West Michigan.

On Tuesday, Stacie Sharp recorded video of a driver disregarding the bus driver as students were preparing to load. It happened off Patterson Avenue in Caledonia.

"All of a sudden as I'm getting my kid out of their car door, I hear him laying on the horn," said Sharp. "I look up, and I see this woman in an SUV, a maroon SUV screech to a halt."

Once stopped, Sharp says the bus driver instructed the woman to remain stopped until all the children were on the bus. That's when Sharp pulled out her phone to begin recording.

As two children were going to cross Patterson Avenue, Sharp says she saw the driver begin to move forward before the students were able to board.

"(The bus driver) told her to wait, specifically wait until the kids are loaded," said Sharp. "She didn't care, and she kept going."

Sharp posted the video to social media to remind others to be mindful of children during the school year.

"It takes a split second for you to not only ruin your own life, but to ruin other people's lives. That 20 seconds that you could have just sat there was not worth risking," said Sharp.

The National Safety Council has posted tips for drivers around buses:

  • Never pass a bus from behind or from either direction if you're on an undivided road - if it is stopped to load or unload children.
  • If the yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.
  • The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them space to safely enter and exit the bus.
  • Be alert.