School bus driver pleads for other drivers to be careful

Dear editor:

As a long-time school bus driver I see a lot of things.

Most people try to drive very safe-minded. But, as humans, we all make mistakes. But we strive to do better.

As a school bus driver our number one thought is: "If you can't do it safely, don't do it!"

After what happened at 2:50 p.m. this afternoon on Airbase highway and Haskett I need to remind people of something. Because it has happened before.

I stopped at a crosswalk because a schoolgirl was stepping off the curb. The car coming up on my left side zoomed right on past, just as the girl stepped past the front of my bus. The car missed her by about 11-12 inches. My heart was in my throat.

If a vehicle is stopped at a crosswalk in a driving lane, that should ring a bell in your head. "That vehicle is stopped for a reason." That bus or car is not homesteading that land! It's stopped temporarily for a reason.

You, in the other lane, probably can't see the reason, but to be safe, stop and check it out.

It is against the law to cross over a crosswalk with someone anywhere in it. It also is against the law to block or park across a crosswalk, like people do at Hacker, and I'm sure many other places.

Please be more aware at crosswalks or intersections. It could be your child that was almost hit.

Please, don't leave me feeling like a child could have been hurt because I was being safe-minded.

Also, please check your following distance behind that big 16-ton yellow thing in front of you. It stopped for a reason.

-- Majohna Parsons