Morning Stop Just Beyond a Crest in Rain and Fog
You drive a 40-foot school bus on a two-lane road posted 45 mph. Your route sheet lists a morning stop at mile marker 12.3, just beyond the crest of a hill. Four students wait on the left side of the road; several parents park on the right shoulder. At the listed point there is no shoulder, and eastbound traffic cannot see a stopped bus until about 200 feet away. The next safe pull-off is 500 feet past the crest at a farm driveway, but it is not the assigned stop. It is 7:10 a.m., light rain and patchy fog. You have already activated your amber warning lights as you approach. The students see the bus and start walking toward the road.
1. Should you stop at the assigned point? Explain the factors.
Read the worked answer
No. The assigned point is unsafe because the bus would sit just over a crest with only about 200 feet of sight distance on a 45 mph road in rain and fog. A following driver needs far more distance to perceive the bus, react, and stop, especially on wet pavement. The lack of shoulder removes any place to put the bus out of the travel lane, and students waiting on the left add a crossing hazard. A route sheet is a planning document, not permission to stop where sight distance is inadequate. The safer choice is to continue slowly to the farm driveway 500 feet past the crest, where the bus can be seen and pulled farther from traffic. Because students have started moving, use the PA or hand signal only to tell them to wait, not to cross.
2. How should you use the amber lights, red lights, and stop arm while moving to the alternate stop?
Read the worked answer
Keep the amber warning lights on while you are still moving and preparing to stop; amber tells traffic you are slowing for a stop. Do not activate the red lights and stop arm while the bus is rolling down the road, because red lights mean students are loading or unloading and traffic must stop. Once the bus is fully stopped at the farm driveway, in a safe position, activate the red lights and extend the stop arm. If the students are still at the original stop and cannot safely reach the new location, do not wave them across the road. Use the PA to tell them to remain on the shoulder while you radio dispatch for guidance. The key is to separate “I am preparing to stop” from “traffic must stop now.”
3. What should you do about the students, parents, and route documentation after using the alternate stop?
Read the worked answer
After stopping, account for all four students before moving. If they must cross the road, signal them only when traffic is controlled and they can cross far enough in front of the bus to be seen. Tell them clearly why the stop moved: the crest made the original point unsafe. Notify dispatch immediately and ask the school or transportation office to inform parents that the temporary stop is at the farm driveway. Document the date, time, weather, sight-distance problem, alternate location, and any parent contact. Request that the route sheet be reviewed permanently, because the hazard will exist every morning. Do not simply resume the old stop the next day without a supervisor’s review.