Ohio State Highway Patrol reminds people about school bus safety

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Kids will soon be heading back to the classroom and that means school buses will be out on the roadways again.

Lieutenant Matt Boyd of the Ohio State Highway Patrol wants to remind drivers that school buses will be stopping at those unconventional places, so people need to make sure they build more time into their travel plans before and after work.

“As we go through the summer and you know, people kind of forget about it I guess. We just want to bring it to the forefront of people’s mind,” explained Boyd. “As I always say, school buses carry our most precious commodity, you know, they’re carrying our children.”

Lieutenant Boyd stresses the importance to have your full attention on the roadways and not be distracted by anything or texting and driving.

“As we talk about distracted driving and things like that, it’s really important now not to be driving down the road, texting and then look up and there’s a school bus stopped in front of you, loading or unloading children,” said Boyd. 

Motorists are required to stop 10 feet behind or in front of a stopped school bus. Boyd said the Highway Patrol looks for the safety of the children and inspects the buses twice a year.