Drivers ignoring school buses stopping

TOLEDO, Ohio — If you’re driving and you see flashing school bus lights and the stop sign out, you are suppose to stop, but in Springfield Township, parents and bus drivers say that’s not happening.

“It’s very frustrating because it can be a fatal accident if they don’t stop and hit a child as they cross,” said Springfield Local Schools Transportation Director Ron Smith.

When the yellow lights come on, they are to warn drivers that the bus is getting ready to stop. Then when the red lights come on and the stop sign swings out, drivers are suppose to stop at least 10 feet away from the front or back of the bus. That’s the law.

But recently parents have caught drivers on video who have refused to stop. In some cases parents have even gone out into the street themselves to block traffic.

School officials say bus drivers are doing their best to make sure kids cross safely, adding they’re not to blame because they can’t control traffic.

“We have a hard time picking up license plates especially for an oncoming bus since the state eliminated the front license plate,” Smith said.

In 2020, Ohio dropped the requirement for vehicles to have both a front and rear license plate. Now vehicles are only required to have license plates on the rear.

Catching drivers who break the law and endanger children will require some help from the public, the district’s director of safety services, Brett Warner, said.

“Be good witnesses,” Warner said. “That’s what we really need, to be a good witness, to let people know that on this date and this time at this location. I witness this happened. But there’s nothing to investigate if there’s nothing ever reported.” 

Local officials, including Springfield Township Administrator Mike Hampton, also believe a ballot initiative to pay for expanded Lucas County Sheriff’s Office patrols in Springfield Township would help.

Springfield voters will decide on a five-year, 4.2 mil levy in May that would fund round-the-clock coverage by three sheriff’s deputies. Increased patrols would make it easier for officers to catch drivers who do not stop for school buses, Hampton said.

He also called on drivers to be more alert for buses on Springfield’s roads.

“Pay attention to what is going on, pay attention to those lights,” Hampton said. “The last thing we want to do is set people up for failure with patrols and ticket people but we certainly will look to mitigate those safety concerns.”

If you do get caught not stopping for a bus, you can be fined.

“Those young children’s lives depend on motorists paying attention,” Hampton said.

School officials say that if you do want to report someone not stopping for the school bus, you should call police not the school district.