On the way to dinner last night with the wife a dump truck ran a stop sign in my neighborhood cutting across the lanes like he was a nascar driver doing a road course. Without thinking I steered into his lane and made it go onto the shoulder and stop. got out and laid into the guy. Called the number on the side of the truck but went to voice mail.Later at the restaurant I see the news story about the school bus.Sort of hit home.
Briz I live in a 25 mph road cement trucks do 45-50?. I know all the police. Ask them why? They know. Nothing done.
According to CBS this morning, the school bus was in the process of making an illegal U-turn on I-80 when it got T-boned. Apparently not the truck's fault.
Too many drivers do not have the common sense to go to the next exit, get off the highway and get back on in the opposite direction. They rather back up to their exit or make stupid moves like the illegal u-turn. I am sorry but IMHO the LEO's are dropping the ball because this happens every day and it seems to go unchecked along with a lot of other nonsense. I was behind a school bus today that refused to use turn signals or merge on to the highway at a reasonable highway speed. This guy wanted to do it all at 35 mph in a big yellow bus and created chaos on the highway. You see it every day and do your best to not become a part of the problem.
On my way to the GS Nats last Sept was rolling through Atlanta @ 65 MPH (2 am) came around a corner to find a wall of stopped cars and drivers doing u turns in the middle of I-75. Riv on the trailer is probably 8000 lbs. If not for the driver behind me making room and opening up the shoulder I wouldnt have made it to the show.Scary 5 seconds!
I may open a firestorm here, and that is not my intent, but IMHO the law spends way too much time bagging speeders and not nearly enough stopping people who refuse to use their directionals, tailgate, weave in and out of traffic, and generally do stupid stuff such as the previously mentioned illegal U-turns and backing up to a missed exit - probably because they were busy texting. I have been driving for more then 55 years and have never - not even once - been in a situation where I felt that my safety was threatened by a driver simply exceeding the speed limit. I'm not referring to insanely exceeding the speed limit or racing, but simply setting the cruise control at 80 on the interstate when traffic is light, and making good time. I have done it myself. The police love to nail speeders because it's easy and the perp comes to the cop. Raise a bunch of revenue with very little work.
Please forgive me for not being more sensitive to the OP. Yes, prayers for all involved and affected by this senseless tragedy.
Pretty unbelievable if true - a school bus driver trying to make a U-turn in the median of an interstate highway. Likely more of a trend of school bus services being "privativized" and farmed out to cut rate companies who are willing to hire questionable background individuals at a low wage. Anyone remember the case a few months ago of the texting school bus driver who killed several kids in Tennessee?
I observe many school bus drivers that think they have special dispensation to do what ever they want and we should allow them. The school is 2 blocks from my house and I see them Not using turn signals, not stopping at Stop Signs and speeding because they either are running lat or its time for them to go home. That plus there are no seat belts on school buses in Pennsylvania.
NEWS WBRC TV fox6 JeffCo D.A. wants plea agreement removed for bus driver who wrecked allegedly drunk Wednesday, May 16th 2018, 6:31 pm CDT by John Huddleston Updated: Wednesday, May 16th 2018, 7:25 pm CDT Hoover bus driver conference JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL (WBRC) - The Jefferson County District Attorney's office is looking to throw out a plea agreement reached with Mark Pierce, the driver who wrecked his Hoover school bus after allegedly driving drunk. Jefferson County D.A. Michael Anderton said Wednesday mistakes were made by his deputy handling the case. He's asking the judge to cancel the deal, which would have allowed Pierce to attend the Jefferson County Deferred DUI Prosecution program. Anderson said Pierce had a commercial drivers license, which under Alabama law, makes him ineligible for the program. The prosecutor also contends there was significant damage to the bus and Pierce's blood alcohol level was too high. Both he says would also disqualify the defendant. "Pierce entered an agreement with the deputy district attorney handling the case where in the B.A.C. was stipulated to be lower to 14. This should not have been agreed to by the Deputy district attorney," said Anderton. Despite the mistakes made by his office, Anderton said he's going to ask for Pierce to be removed from the program because he provided false information on his application. Pierce's attorney, Mark Polson, told WBRC that the District Attorney's office should know who's eligible and who's not for the program. He says he took their word that his client was eligible. He plans to fight the matter in court. Copyright 2018 WBRC. All rights reserved.
The school system where I taught has used a private contractor since it's inception. The company - Holmes Transportation, has always done an exceptional job. Under Massachusetts law, school buses must be inspected by the State Police twice each year. The busses my not be inspected by a regular state inspection station; the "Staties" (as they are known in MA) pull into the school parking lot and go through each bus thoroughly. If there is something serious wrong the bus is removed from service immediately. The school bus contract specifies that no buses over five years old may be used to transport children. The only trouble we ever had was one driver who was stopped by the State Police for 90 mph on I-495. She was fired on the spot when she returned from the trip. I don't believe that there has ever been a school bus accident in the system since it's opening in 1977
The school bus contract specifies that no buses over five years old may be used to transport children. That is a big factor and the Staties doing the inspections twice a year is another. The slow and no turn signal bus I was stuck behind on the highway was in Philadelphia. The guy drove like he was medicated.
