EAST STROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It's time to buckle up back to school season is almost here, so you’re going to see more school buses on the road.
For officials like Maryann Rosario at the East Stroudsburg area school district, it’s time to remind everyone to prioritize safety.
“Making sure that drivers are constantly alert, as to the students that are on the bus as well as off the bus.”
Offering year-round training and refresher courses, drivers with the school district are taught to be vigilant while on the road.
Kesha Smith tells us she sees a lot of drivers lack patience.
“Everyone is in a rush, everyone wants to run your reds, or rush the bus. We don’t make turns on red, so you have cars beeping behind you, wanting you to make that right turn, because you can do that in Pennsylvania make the right turn on a red, but you can’t on a school bus.”
Mother on a mission for bus safety after son’s close callTaking extra precautions with its 133 school vehicle fleet, East Stroudsburg added multiple cameras inside in addition to its stop-arm cameras.
Another new safety measure is students scanning their IDs when getting on the bus and then marking the student’s attendance, alerting both the school district and their families that the student is on the bus.
The new technology spotlighting the ultimate goal of safety for all drivers and students.
“It starts at home and it ends with us so if we work together, I’m sure we could continue to keep children safe,” says Rosario.
Pennsylvania has a school bus stopping law that requires motorists to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and their stop arm activated.