WWYD: School bus

Alliebooberz · January 2013

I don't have school age kids in my house right now but it's difficult not to notice the school bus barreling down the road every day.

A little background: I live in Michigan, they passed a law a few years back that on dirt roads where the speed limit is unlisted, it's 55mph. I live on a one lane dirt road with blind hills where you can't see very far in front of you.

The situation: these buses go 40 to 55 down my road. Rain, snow, sun, whatever. There's no room to stop or swerve as the road is densely tree lined. You have to pull into a driveway if someone else is coming.

I called the school district and the woman blew me off and said if its unlisted, the speed limit is 55. I called the county Sherrif and they said its not just 55, that is if its safe to do so. Like common sense would dictate, it would never be safe to do that. She said if a cop saw that, they would definitely give a ticket.

Anyway, long winded question: would you press it any further? I don't have kids on that bus, but what if all of their parents are at work and have no way to ever know?

I asked on fb but none of my friends live in this district. The parent consensus was to film it and send it to local news stations. What say you, SAHM?

Alliebooberz · January 2013

letranger:
I'd see if police would station someone or speak with school.

I spoke with the manager of transportation. I don't know who else to call? What's the chain of command at a school district? Who is above that person?

MAprincess · January 2013

I'd ask an officer to come out and witness it. In my town, there are many areas that people speed/run stop signs when it isn't safe to do so. People generally ask an officer to station in their driveway or nearby to deter people. Perhaps a ticket will help the bus driver make better decisions.

I am sure the WMs who don't witness it will appreciate it. No need for a child to get it/accident to occur before something changes.

LHD1518 · January 2013

That is dangerous, no wonder theres so many school bus accidents. I think you should speak up because it could be dangerous for you as well. But the school board or superintendent would be the direction to go if you are looking for results.

penguingrrl · January 2013

That's a tough one. It sounds incredibly unsafe but also like what they're doing isn't actually illegal. I think you would need to petition to have a speed limit posted on your road before you have recourse. Oh, and unless it changed I would not let my kid ride the bus because that's scary!

mrswright2006 · January 2013

In our school district, the first person I would go to is the Superintendent of our schools, followed by asking the sheriff/law enforcement to monitor the situation, because you are worried for your own safety. The superintendent's job is to keep the kids safe, and I know in our community, he would look into it and get results if needed.

LatteLady5 · January 2013

In high school one of my friends parked car was hit by a bus driver. She saw it happen from her living room window and before she could get outside the bus driver sped away. She called the school and they pretty much blew her off. I think her dad ended up calling and threatening to get a lawyer before they agreed to do anything. They fixed the car but the bus driver was never penalized. The superintendent told her that the bus driver was one of their best.

I would do what PP's have suggested and have an officer stationed in your driveway to witness it. If that doesn't work, I think contacting your local news station is a good idea. I am sure they would cover the story and publicized criticism will surely make the school do something. It's not right for the driver to be so reckless with the lives of small children.

CiderWench · January 2013

Call the superintendent of the bus garage (may be a different name where you live), if you have one.

mrswright2006 · January 2013

Oh, almost forgot, if nothing else works, call DOT for your state (or whatever it is called in your state) -or threaten to when talking to the bus company - no company wants DOT to have them on their radar. I know in SD, they are vigilant with school bus safety, and are almost eager to catch buses not up to code/breaking the law.

outnumbered · January 2013

That seems like a very high speed limit for non-posted roads. I understand that it is rural (maybe non-residential), but the roads are probably not built to drive those speeds safely. I would contact the state and see if they have guidelines for speed limits and road types (surface, width, shoulders, grading, visibility). i would press this issue. It is a safety issue for all who live and drive on those roads.

shortstuff15 · January 2013

I'm sorry but I don't get the problem. Maybe it's because of where I live, but rural/gravel roads are all 80 kms (50 miles) unless otherwise posted and the school buses drive that same speed limit. It's no more dangerous then a regular vehicle driving that speed. There may be weather circumstances where you need to drive slower, but that's normal and very obvious when vehicles need to slow down.

And I rode the school bus for all 12 years of school, so I am very familiar with school buses. I wouldn't blink an eye putting my kid on a bus that drove 80 kms on a gravel road.

ETA: I do however think that on blind hills buses need to slow down, so on this particular road it may not be safe to drive that speed all the time, but the speed limit itself isn't a problem in my mind.

bumpuser8448316 · January 2013

I guess I'm the odd man out...so the bus driver is going the legal speed limit you just don't think it's safe enough?

If the bus was coming up on an intersection or something where there could be a car or person crossing and not slowing down, I would have an issue. But otherwise, I guess I'm not familiar enough with the area to know how dangerous your street is.

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