Obey the safety arm

The school year is well underway, and most of us have gotten used to sharing the roads with school buses again. Some of us have even been stopped by them a number of times while they pick up and drop off their precious cargo.

Maybe you've been stopped enough to think you know when kids are going to cross the street, and maybe -- just this once -- you can get away with driving around the flashing lights and extended stop arm. We and the Ohio State Highway Patrol urge drivers not to try it.

The week of Oct. 18 to 24 has been designated National School Bus Safety Week, and the highway patrol is taking the opportunity to remind motorists to "Avoid harm, Obey the Stop Arm."

The law requires traffic approaching a stopped school bus in either direction to stop at least 10 feet from the bus if its red lights are flashing. And they are required to remain stopped until the bus resumes its motion.

While inconvenient for motorists, the rules are in place to protect youngsters getting on and off the bus and going to and from their homes. These youngsters, especially small children, are often not fully aware or concerned with safety issues, so we, as motorists, must be that much more vigilant.

According to the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, an average of five school bus passengers and 15 pedestrians at bus stops are killed nationally each year as a result of motorists disregarding those flashing lights. These numbers are much too high.

We must protect our children. Avoid harm; obey the safety arm.