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They are big…they are yellow….and they are full of precious cargo.

Buses full of young children will become more noticeable on Roanoke-Chowan area roadways beginning Monday, August 26 when public schools across the Roanoke-Chowan area and statewide open for the 2024-25 academic year.

Adding these buses, operating slower than the posted speed limit and all making frequent stops, to the flow of local traffic increases the risks of motor vehicle accidents.

Collisions involving moving or stopped vehicles typically results in bodily injury; the severity hinges on the force of the impact.

We all cringe in our shoes upon learning of an accident involving a school bus where innocent lives are at stake. That is why it is so important for motorists to pay very close attention when sharing the road with a school bus.

It’s instinctive for most drivers to quickly look for a slight opening to pass a slower bus or make bold moves in order to avoid having to stop and wait for a bus to pick up or disembark its passengers, but please do not place the lives of these children at risk, much less your own, just to shave a few minutes off your travel time.

The best advice for motorists typically traveling the same route with school buses is to leave home a few minutes earlier, thus providing extra time to navigate the slower traffic.

Upon a bus activating its flashing, yellow caution lights, be prepared to stop immediately when they change to red. Never pass a school bus when there are flashing red lights and the stop arm is extended. Doing so will lead to severe charges lodged against drivers, who will also pay more than double for their auto insurance upon being convicted of passing a stopped school bus.

In North Carolina, the “School Bus STOP Law” varies depending on the number of lanes on a paved road where motorists may encounter a school bus.

On a two-lane road, traffic from both directions must stop when a bus is picking up or dropping off students. The same rule applies for a two-lane roadway with a center turning lane as well as a four-lane roadway without a median separation.

On any divided highway (of four lanes or more) where a median is present or with a center turn lane, only the vehicles traveling in the same direction of the bus are required to stop.

Also remember that children are unpredictable in their actions. Take extreme caution when traveling in a school zone. If there are no sidewalks, drive cautiously. Be more alert to the possibility of children walking in the road.

By taking these few simple measures you are helping to protect our most precious asset – our children.

– The Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald