By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — School may not be completely back to normal everywhere, but its much closer than it was at points last year and that can mean additional hazards for motorists, according to Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas.
"Drivers may be a little out of practice in terms of back to school traffic safety," Steward said. "We'd just like to remind people this time of year to be aware of those kids walking to school or riding their bikes, especially the extra traffic around school zones and certainly paying attention to school buses and the stopping roles related to those."
Given that federal regulations require students to wear masks on school buses right now, they might not be able to see traffic as well, either.
"Follow the laws with regard to stopping for those school buses, so those kids can get out of the bus and to their school safely," Steward said. "All 50 states actually have a school bus stopping law."
Flashing yellow lights on a school bus indicate it is preparing to stop to load or unload children and motorists should slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on and off. Motorists are required to stop their vehicles and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop sign is withdrawn and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.