It will not be long before all of the shiny new Gwinnett Transit buses will have to share the road with a bus that is somewhat better known. They may not be as shiny, sleek or convenient, but the cargo that they carry is invaluable. Furthermore, rider ship will not be an issue with these buses. The big yellow buses are about to hit the roads again! I know that we have all had that sinking feeling when we have gotten behind a school bus that stops every 15 feet and it just so happens to be the very day that we are in the biggest hurry or late for work. It never fails. Those are the days that we expand our language base to those words that we should probably never use. I believe it goes something like, "I wish that -(you fill in the blank) - bus would get out of the way." Sound familiar?

Truthfully, it is these attitudes and more traffic in general, that have caused so many school bus accidents on our roadways in recent years. The next time you try that stunt- driver pass or pull out in front of a bus to avoid getting behind it, you might want to be a little familiar with the laws that you have violated. Or, what could be of more importance to you, the fines that you will be paying when you get caught. The Georgia State Patrol, as well as, our local police have very little sympathy for drivers who violate the traffic laws that govern and protect school buses. Like it or not, the buses have the right of way in most cases.

Quite simply, Georgia law requires that when either meeting or behind a school bus that is stopped with the required visual warning signals in place, you must also come to a stop. There is only a small exception for this rule. If a bus is stopped on a divided highway, the drivers on the highways opposite of the bus, are not required to stop. But, as legalese often does, there is not a clear definition of exactly what a divided highway is. It appears that a grassy median is the only example of a divided highway that does not require you to stop. So just to be safe and to steal from Johnnie Cochran’s poetic style,"if the lights are flashing, don’t go passing." By law, the bus drivers are authorized to report your tag number to the proper officials based on the offense. The registered owner will be fined for the offense whether they were driving the vehicle or not. You might mention this fact to your teenage drivers. The monetary fine for these violations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but can be very expensive.

To put this topic on a more personal level, assume that each bus you see on the road has your child aboard. Would you really take a chance on a quick pass, or avoid stopping, if your recklessness led to the injury of your child? I do not think so. We must hope that the drivers who are behind the bus that is transporting our children accept this same approach. Obviously, from the past accidents that we have seen, some are hesitant to adopt this policy. If time is really of the essence for you, try to schedule your departures at either before or after the local buses come through your area. The fifteen minutes that you leave early may save you the thirty minutes that you might be late by having to follow a bus through its route.

It is a simple formula. The more homes we build, the more kids we will have. The more kids we have, the more schools will be built. The more schools we build, the more buses we will add to the streets of Gwinnett County. Such is life in the big city. We do not have to like it, but it sure beats writing that check to traffic court. Gentlemen (and ladies) start your engines! Just be sure to slow them down when you see those big yellow buses.