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Ohio State Highway Patrol honors National School Bus Safety Week

school transportation bus buses DPS public schools transit children kids education
Ohio Department of Transportation
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It’s National School Bus Safety Week, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol has increased enforcement efforts. Troopers have spent the week following school buses and sitting in school zones in local places like Montgomery and Greene Counties.

Since 2017, more than 6,000 crashes have involved school buses in Ohio. That’s according to data provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

That’s why the Ohio State Patrol spent the week focusing on school bus safety. Troopers were looking for violations, such as passing a stopped school bus.

It is required by law to stop when a school bus does. A citation for passing a stopped school bus requires a mandatory court appearance.

When a school bus stops, the stop sign comes out, and orange and red lights begin to flash. That’s when drivers should stop to allow children to safely get off and to their homes.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

“I think a lot of times, a contributing factor is maybe distracted driving. Maybe not paying attention, maybe not looking down at the roadway,” Ryan Purpura, a sergeant with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said.

Oftentimes, this can be when someone receives a text or notification on their cell phone.

When to Stop for a School Bus in Ohio -- a graphic provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol
The Ohio State Highway Patrol
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The Ohio State Highway Patrol
When to Stop for a School Bus in Ohio -- a graphic provided by the Ohio State Highway Patrol

Six people have died in crashes with school buses since 2017. None of them were on the buses.

National data shows similar figures. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, between 2011 and 2020 there were 1,009 fatal school-transportation-related crashes.

70% of people killed in these accidents were occupants of other vehicles.

Sgt. Purpura said paying attention can not only keep children safe, but drivers as well.

“This week is just a good reminder for motorists to look out for school buses,” Purpura said. “And we want them to think when they see that school bus that that school bus has children on it. You know, the most precious cargo in our communities.”

National School Bus Safety Week was from Oct. 17 to Oct. 21.

Garrett is a WYSO intern and graduate of University of Dayton. He spent time covering the Dayton area with WDTN Channel 2 News after the 2019 Memorial Day Tornado outbreak. It was around this time that he began listening to NPR and fell in love with radio-based journalism. Garrett graduated from UD in May of 2021 with his Bachelor’s in Communications with a focus in journalism and graduated in May of 2022 with his Master’s. While not working at WYSO, Garrett is an avid reader, loves to play video games, and hanging out with his friends.