Sun-Glare Stop on a Crowded Two-Lane Street
At 3:20 p.m. you are driving Route 14 with 24 students aboard. The assigned stop is on a two-lane residential street with a 25 mph limit. Parked cars line both sides, and the sun is low behind you. Four students are waiting: two on the right sidewalk, one on the left curb, and one standing in a driveway between two parked cars. A pickup is closing from behind about 150 feet back. Your right convex mirror catches a bicycle lying at the curb, and the cross-view mirror shows the driveway student only from the knees up. The nearest cross street is 40 feet beyond the stop. You must decide where to place the bus, when to open the door, and whether to signal the left-side student to cross.
1. What should your mirror scan and stop position be before you open the door?
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I would scan the left flat mirror for the pickup, the right flat and convex mirrors for the curb and bicycle, and the cross-view mirror for the driveway student. The cross-view image is incomplete, so I would not stop with that student beside the front door where the hood blocks my view. I would stop 10 to 15 feet before the group so all four students are ahead of the bumper and inside my mirror field. I would keep the service door closed and the red lights and stop arm activated while the pickup closes. If the pickup does not slow, I would not open the door or wave anyone across; I would wait or move on. The cross street 40 feet ahead is another reason not to stop in the intersection or block the corner.
2. The left-side student steps into the road before you signal. What do you do?
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I would keep the door closed and hold the red lights and stop arm so traffic in both directions remains stopped. I would not wave the student forward or backward, because a wave can be misread. Using the PA, I would tell the student to return to the left curb and wait for my signal. I would watch the left flat mirror for traffic that may have passed the stop arm and the right convex mirror for the other three students. If a vehicle is moving, I would sound the horn. The key point is that the driver controls the crossing, not the student. Only after the student is back on the curb, all traffic is stopped, and my mirrors show no movement would I signal the student to cross in front of the bus, at least 10 feet ahead of the bumper.
3. What must be true before you retract the stop arm and pull away?
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Before moving, I need a complete head count and a clear danger zone. I would check the right convex and cross-view mirrors for any student still within 10 feet of the bus, especially near the front bumper and the right rear wheels. I would check the left flat mirror for traffic and for the student who crossed, confirming that student is clear of the roadway. The service door must be closed, the stop arm retracted, and the red lights off before the bus moves. I would also listen for the door warning buzzer and check that no student is standing in the aisle. Pulling away is the point where a missed child is most likely, so I would move slowly and recheck the cross-view mirror once the bus is rolling.