What to do or not do when sharing road with school bus

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It’s not only the school bus itself that should have a driver’s attention when behind the wheel.

“When a school bus is stopped, kids are approaching from anywhere,” said Warren Lanphier, director of operations for School Bus Inc., which provides buses for the Sioux Falls School District. “They could be coming out from a house. They could come out from behind cars. Especially with little ones, they’re not paying attention.”

Montez Manning, who is a driver for School Bus Inc., points out that the amber lights on a bus are there for a reason.

“If there’s yellows flashing, they need to yield and prepare for the stop sign to come out for students to be walking across the street,” Manning said.

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“It’s a legal stop sign,” Lanphier said. “If you pass a school bus, you could be cited. Our drivers are trained to report that, turn it into the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office.”

And bus drivers will appreciate extra space.

“Make sure they’re not trying to cut too close to school buses,” Manning said about other drivers. “They’re, they have large blind spots.”

Lanphier also says School Bus Inc. is looking for drivers.

South Dakota’s law regarding whether motorists must come to a complete stop or slow to no more than 15 miles per hour when a school bus is stopped depends on several things.

If the warning lights on the bus are flashing red, the motorist must stop at least 15 feet away from the bus. If the warning lights are amber or yellow, the motorist must slow to no more than 15 miles per hour.

The only exceptions are for buses stopped on the opposite side of a street or road with two lanes or more of traffic in each direction.

A violation of the law is punishable by up to 30 days in county jail and a $500 fine.