Back to school: our yellow buses are back on the road, let's be extra careful!
Back to school: our yellow buses are back on the road — let's exercise extra caution
Back-to-school time is approaching and, very soon, the yellow buses will be clearly present again on the roads of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Beauharnois-Salaberry, Haut-Saint-Laurent, and throughout the region.
After several weeks of summer when our driving habits have changed, this is the perfect moment to remind ourselves of a simple truth: behind every school bus there are children getting to school or coming home.
And especially at the start of the year, some of them will take the bus for the very first time.
The red lights are flashing? Stop.
When a school bus activates its flashing red lights or deploys its stop arm, drivers must bring their vehicle to a stop more than 5 meters away from the bus.
This obligation applies to vehicles traveling in the same direction as well as in the opposite direction, particularly when lanes are separated by a median.
It’s not just about avoiding a fine. A child getting off the bus may cross quickly, be momentarily hidden by the vehicle, or act unpredictably.
Just a few seconds of patience can truly make all the difference.
Yellow lights: get ready to stop
The intermittent yellow lights on a school bus are there to warn motorists that the bus is about to stop.
Now is the time to slow down and prepare to stop, not to accelerate to try to pass before the red lights activate.
Let’s also be attentive near schools
Back-to-school also means more activity around schools: kids on foot or on bikes, parents dropping off their children, crossing guards, buses, heavier traffic, and sometimes a bit of confusion during the first days.
A few good habits can help make our neighborhoods safer:
- Respect speed limits, especially in school zones;
- Avoid any distraction while driving;
- Anticipate the presence of children near buses and crosswalks;
- Allow a few extra minutes in the morning so you don’t have to drive in a rush;
- Be patient with buses making many stops.
A responsibility that belongs to all of us
It can be frustrating to fall behind a school bus when you’re in a hurry in the morning. But when you think about it, the few minutes we might lose are never worth the risk of putting a child in danger.
In the coming days, thousands of children in our region will resume their trek to school. Some already know the routine very well. For others, it will be their first back-to-school day, their first bus ride, and perhaps the first time they’ll have to cross a street without their parents by their side.
So, during the first weeks of the school year, let’s be especially vigilant.
When you see a yellow school bus, slow down.
When its yellow lights are flashing, get ready to stop.
When its red lights are flashing, stop.
Because in the end, arriving two minutes later is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of our children.
Have a great return to school to all students, to parents, to teachers, to school staff, and to the bus drivers of our region! 🚌🎒
André-Philippe St-Germain Residential and Commercial Real Estate Broker