School Buses

Not defending meat heads that run school bus stop signs but I've had bus drivers on highway 17 put the red stop sign out while they're still moving and I'm coming at them at highway speed, by the time the 2 of us both stopped she was beside me. There was an OPP right behind her, he didn't do anything.

 

Had that happen here once.

I came to a stop when I saw them go on and the bus drove by me with the lights and the arm out. When it stopped, I was past the back of the bus.

They did not stop at the house where they turned the lights on.

 

Be especially careful around 'em. They're full of kids, and the drivers can't be counted on for much in the way of excellence. When I was in trucking safety, we also dabbled in other industries, buses and other "official" vehicles being part of it.
The three absolute worst groups of drivers (with some individual exceptions, as always) were the city-owned garbage trucks, school buses, and (big surprise) local police.

 

where I'm from,they run with the yellows flashing all the time. you can't tell if they are going to stop or not. You really have to be careful around them. I have run by them when they slam on the brakes and put the stop sign out,and that was in my 4 wheeler.

 

Unfortunately you can never assume intelligence. Since this is the forum for giving truckers advise, mine is this. You will never haul anything worth killing or injuring another person. Many "Official" vehicles make sudden stops, turns and many other things that put everyone in danger. I personally never stay near any school bus, or other official vehicle, no matter how right you are, do you really believe any excuse would be good enough if you were to hit a school bus, or police officer?
My advice is stay away from them, the 30 sec you save in time is not worth the danger.

 

- never mind -

 

these bus drivers, i dont even see them having a reguler license u cant expect a full rig to stop right away. they have no clue what its like to drive a rig nor do they even know how to drive that #### bus of theres. ive had it where they put there flashers on and i stop and they drive right by me and then stop put there sign out and im like what was the point of me stopping. i would say u idnt do anything wrong as long as u were already starting to pass before his sign was out. but the other day i was drivin in wet slick roads not very good visibility with a full trailer and had a bus full of kids cut me off with no warning and cutting in and out of lanes they just have no clue. they drive the bus like its a car i wouldnt want my kid on any of these buses, not for the fear of other drivers so much but the fear of the bus driver more i would rather my wife miss mornings and afternoons of work and bring my kid to school than put them in the hands of these bus drivers they have to think of other drivers and if they are in a safe position to stop, not think because they are picking up kids they have the right of way. think of all surroundings put the stop sign up when its safe for other cars/trucks and the kids boarding the bus.

 

and i am not defending anyone who runs right through a stop sign on a school bus all drivers need to think and drive cautiously

 

I run school buses off the road whenever possible. Schools are overcrowded anyways so they need all the help they can get.

But seriously, I have no problem stopping for school buses but I have to ask, if a "short bus" is picking up a single special needs child, one so severely disabled that she cannot even operate her wheelchair, are the full stop lights really necessary? This happened on the street I lived on when I was heading home from working the nightshift and it seemed like overkill to tie up the street for nearly 15 min to load up this one student.