The Stop Just Over the Crest
At 7:05 a.m. you are on a rural two-lane road posted 55 mph with 18 students aboard. The assigned stop is a mailbox 30 feet beyond a hill crest. Fog limits rear visibility, and the shoulder there is narrow. Three students wait at the mailbox; the youngest must cross to the west side. A grain truck is approaching from behind at highway speed, about a quarter mile back. One hundred fifty feet before the crest is a gravel driveway with a wide apron and clear sight lines for at least 1,000 feet. Your route sheet says the stop is at the mailbox, and dispatch is not expecting a delay. You have already activated your amber warning lights. The students see the bus and are stepping toward the road.
1. Do you stop at the mailbox or at the driveway? Explain the tradeoffs.
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The mailbox is beyond a blind crest, so a truck driver may not see my red lights until very late. Stopping there with a fast grain truck closing is the greater hazard. The driveway has clear sight lines and a wide apron, but it is 150 feet before the students, so stopping there would make them walk along the shoulder. I would not wave them along the road. Instead, I would slow early, keep the amber lights on, and use the PA to tell the three students to stay back from the pavement. If the grain truck slows and creates a clear gap, I would stop at the mailbox and control the crossing. If it does not slow, I would pass the stop, radio dispatch, and return on a safer approach rather than stop blind over the crest.
2. Assuming you stop at the mailbox, describe the crossing procedure for the youngest student.
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I would position the bus so the student can see me and I can see the student, then set the parking brake and open the door only after traffic is controlled. The stop arm and red lights stay out. I would signal the student to come to the edge of the road, stop, look left-right-left, and cross only on my hand signal. The student should walk at least 10 feet in front of the bumper, never behind the bus, and continue to the west shoulder without stopping in the lane. I would keep my eyes on the student and use the left flat mirror for oncoming traffic. If the fog or the grain truck makes the scene unsafe, I would cancel the crossing and keep the student on the east side.
3. What if the grain truck does not slow as you approach?
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I would abort the stop. A school bus stopped over a crest with a truck closing at highway speed is a rear-end collision waiting to happen. I would keep the door closed, keep moving, and radio dispatch that the stop was skipped for safety. I would not brake suddenly in the truck's path or open the door to shout at the students. After the truck passes and I have a safe gap, I would turn around and approach the stop again, or ask dispatch to notify the families. The students should be told by PA to stay back until the bus returns. Documenting the skipped stop protects the driver and explains the delay.