THUNDER BAY – A stopped school bus with flashing lights has the same authority as a stop sign.
That’s a message Thunder Bay Police traffic Sgt. Glenn Porter is hoping to extend to drivers, as it’s nothing new for drivers to blow by buses as they stop to pick up or drop off kids in the morning and afternoon.
“The school bus, once it’s stopped and the arm goes out and signal is activated, that’s when the charge is effective. You have to be watching and anticipating. These school buses don’t stop suddenly and throw the light,” Porter said on Friday.
“We do follow them up. There are charges laid and I have to remind everybody it’s a very hefty fine. It’s $400 and there are points.”
Porter said there are typically two different types of culprits guilty of not obeying school bus signals.
The first is people who are chronically late and are trying to rush to their destination with a limited amount of time and tries to quickly pass by. The second is people who are not paying attention behind the wheel and oblivious to the signals.
It’s becoming more and more of a problem.
“It is increasing because there are more people being distracted while they are driving. I think it goes hand in hand with all of the messages we’re putting out about distracted driving,” he said.
“This is one of the scarier aspects of that message.”
One potential solution is having cameras onboard buses to provide evidence to help the police with enforcement but seems to be something that is not imminent.
“It’s not a new idea. It has been discussed at the committee level here in Thunder Bay but there a number of obstacles we face with that,” Porter said, citing funding and reliability of equipment as two specific challenges.
“That’s still in its infancy but I think eventually we’ll see something come to Thunder Bay.”
