Introduction
Protecting children bears a great deal of significance. One of the key ways of doing so is school bus safety all the way through the whole year. It is imperative to make certain that children are able to get to school and back to their homes safe and sound. Statistics indicate that in the 2018-19 school year, approximately 350,000 children across Arkansas will be getting on one of roughly 7,000 school buses on a daily basis (Times Record). When there are flashing red lights on a school bus that has stopped, it implies that children are crossing the road, and therefore drivers are required by law to stop. However, this has not been the case. In April this year, statistics indicated that over 3,200 school buses in Little Rock in the city of Arkansas reported over 850 incidents of motorists unlawfully failing to stop and passing a stopped school bus in a single day (Times Record). Statistics indicate that an average number of ten children are killed when drivers disregard the flashing red lights and stop signs on school buses on an annual basis. As recently as the year 2014, a 12-year old student from Arkansas was killed owing to the reason that a driver failed to adhere to rules and regulations of the road. With the number of such incidents remaining steady in Arkansas, there is a significant need to come up with an effective way of ensuring motorists stop (Manley). In this regard, the main argument of this paper is that drivers in Little Rock, Arkansas who fail to stop for school buses that are flashing lights and also have a stop sign out, should pay a higher fine for not stopping.
In accordance to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the law of the state makes it unlawful to pass a school bus with its red lights flashing together with stop-arm stretched that is stopped in order to pick up or drop off students. Nonetheless, a number of motorists basically opt to disregard the law. They may be approaching toward the bus and make the decision that no students are crossing the street and simply keep moving. They may be positioned behind the bus, choose to take the left lane and go around the bus. Lastly, they may also be positioned behind the bus, decide to pull onto the shoulder and pass the bus on the right (NHTSA). In Arkansas, there is Isaac’s Law, a regulation that is named after Isaac Brian, a student in Bryant elementary who was killed in the year 2004 subsequent to walking out of his school bus. Being in violation of such laws presently carries a hard consequence. Any individual that is charged and convicted of passing a stopped and flashing school bus faces any combination of a fine of approximately $250 to $1000,...
When these motorists are in violation of the law, it places the lives of the children at risk. Increasing enforcement of the unlawful passing law is a pivotal objective. Devoid of the threat of enforcement and also devoid of the general public actually perceiving or hearing regarding the law that is being enforced and the more stringent fines, these regulations will barely have any impact (Aaron). Violations of the law by rivers in Little Rock are very common. This is largely for the reason that it is necessary for an officer to bear witness to the violation, and even in instances when there is issuance of citations, getting convictions of the transgressors is more often than not challenging (Aaron). Furthermore, at times, traffic courts deem the evidence rendered to be inadequate or end up decreasing the charges owing to the reason that the penalty for a first offense might appear excessive and over the top (NHTSA).
Conclusion
On a daily basis, school buses transport thousands of students across the highways and roads of the city of Arkansas and guaranteeing their safety ought to be a top priority. On an everyday basis, school bus drivers in the city have reported over 800 motorists unlawfully passing a stopped school bus that is also flashing lights. This is a significant risk because most times these drivers overlook the fact that students might be crossing the street. The major consequence is that an average number of 10 children are killed every year because motorists ignore the flashing red lights and stop signs on the school buses. The argument made is that such transgressors ought to be given higher fines when overlooking these rules. When such enforcements are deemed to be more stringent and harsh, there is a greater likelihood that progressively more motorists across the city will adhere to these rules. Most of all, this will increase the safety of the children.
Works Cited
Aaron, Michael. “Our children are our greatest asset: Arkansas cracking down on school bus safety violations”. THV 11, August 11, 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.thv11.com/article/news/education/our-children-are-our-greatest-asset-arkansas-cracking-down-on-school-bus-safety-violations/91-582380804
This article provides important information regarding the ways in which the state can crack down the violations being…
