Calls for safety in wake of bus crashes

SAN ANTONIO – As a rash of crashes near school bus stops around the country has left several children dead and others injured, local bus drivers see their own share of dangerous driving in Bexar County.

"There's people out there who have no conscience and run our stop signs on a daily basis," said Albert Guevara, a training technician for the Northside Independent School District's Transportation Department

In three of the five crashes that have occurred in Indiana, Florida, Mississippi and Pennsylvania since Tuesday, children were hit as they crossed the road to get to stopped school buses. Additionally, several children in Bexar County were taken to local hospitals on Oct. 23 as a precaution after an SUV rear-ended a Somerset ISD school bus that was picking up students.

As someone who trains Northside ISD's bus drivers, Guevara has strong opinions on inattentive and unsafe drivers, and the recent string of crashes from around the nation hits close to home.

"They're our kids," he said. "I mean, they're actually not our kids, but that's how we look at it."

Though the stopped buses have stop signs and numerous flashing lights to warn drivers they're loading or unloading students, Guevara said, the district's bus drivers see hundreds of violations every day.

The NISD Police Department does what it can.

"We have a traffic unit that basically follows buses," said Lt. Kelley Fryar. "We have marked units that follow buses and we have unmarked units that follow buses."

In the Somerset ISD bus crash, the Bexar County Sheriff's Office said "driver inattention" was believed to be the potential cause. Guevara said that sort of crash happens all the time.

"The funny thing about it is you ask these people, 'Didn't you see the bus?' 'No, I didn't see the bus,'" he said. " You know, 30,000 pounds of steel, big ol' yellow monsters and they don't see it."

Guevara believes there are too many distracted drivers on the road, saying that, from up high in the bus, drivers can see people texting and talking on their phones.

Fryar said that bus drivers sometimes see confusion over when a car needs to stop on major roadways when there's also a stopped bus.

"If in doubt, stop. It's worth every moment of your time," Fryar said.

For information on school bus safety from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, click here


About the Author:

Garrett Brnger is a reporter with KSAT 12.