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Show Editoral . . . Promised School Bus Light Crackdown Long Overdue Every so often a youngster is struck by a vehicle as he or she alights from a school bus and crosses a street or road. A little over a year ago a kindergarten student in Salina was such a victim as he walked in front of a car west of Salina after getting off the bus. Luckily that youngster was not killed. But many are. And many more are injured some with life-crippling injuries. The Utah Highway Patrol has promised a crackdown on drivers who fail to ' observe the flashing red light warning on school buses which operate at the time passengers are getting on or off the bus. We hope they follow up on this threat and help drivers realize that this is not an option, but the law. The apparent thinking of those drivers who fail to stop when a bus's red lights are flashing, is that they can see nobody around, so they continue on their way. These are the kinds of attitudes which result in death or injury to youngsters. Utah law clearly states that all vehicles shall come to a stop and not pass a school bus during the time it is stopped and the red flashing lights are on. But how many people really know this? And even more sad, how many people observe this? Many laws can be bent and even broken at times with little consequence. But this is one law which should not be tolerated to be broken. We hope all law enforcement officers will join with the UHP warning that citations will be issued to motorists who ignore this law. If they really want to enforce it, they need only be in the vicinity of any bus taking on or letting off passengers. We hope they will be there. |