Don't close it, it's the morning.
Double URJN.
A wheel's on the bus, go round and round.
Round and round, round and round.
A wheel's on the bus, go round and round.
All through the town.
A door's on the bus, go open and shut.
Open and shut.
Door's on the bus, go open and shut.
All through the town.
The wipers on the bus, go switch and switch and switch.
The wipers on the bus, go switch and switch and switch.
All through the town.
We're getting signals.
We're talking about school bus safety today.
Part of our discussion every month about the Racine County Traffic Safety Commission.
And of course, school is starting in September, right?
Yes.
Yes.
September 2nd.
And so we're talking about that today.
Get y'all set up for John Strack is here.
He's from the Racine High School District Transportation Supervisor for the school district.
And that includes buses.
Now you heard me earlier today.
Move a little closer.
You heard me earlier today.
Said, you know, I took a school bus when I was in kindergarten.
But that's it.
That was the last time I was out of school bus.
And I said, they haven't changed much.
Now you said, yes, from the outside, they haven't changed much.
Sure.
What's changed on the inside?
The, the essential, the outside portion of a bus is relatively stayed unchanged.
The inside of the bus, however, when it comes to technology is been highly integrated now.
Safety and security is now foremost.
There were chassis designs that were changed in the 80s.
Due to accidents that had happened across the nation.
So they made chassis changes to make the bus more durable and safe.
Should something end up happening.
You, I think, had mentioned the school bus seating earlier this morning.
And the seating has pretty much stayed the same since the 80s and 70s.
So we have compartmentalization where the seats are now more padded to protect the students should something happen.
Some school buses are incorporating seat belts.
But the biggest changes have come in the drivers area in terms of being able to visually see more of what's going on around the school bus to provide for safety.
And the drivers comfort while they're having to drive these long hours.
I would last nine seconds as a bus driver because the first kid that acted up, I'd stop the bus and get out.
Nine seconds I'd be fired in that job.
You got to have the patience of a saint because, you know, these are kids.
They're little kids and some of them are kindergarteners, some of first graders.
Not that the high school is so much better, but they act up.
They're excited. They're running around throwing things at each other, fighting with whatever.
And you got how many get 50 kids on a bus?
You can have anywhere between, well, from very little up to about 80.
80. How do you control 80 kids, especially if they're young kids?
Well, and I mean, this is one of the things that we work with first student and they are, they have incredible drivers or dedicated.
We have career drivers, people have driven for 35 years, 40 years in support of the students.
And they, their first priority always is to make sure the bus is getting from point eight to point, be safely.
They have to drive, but yet they also have to be aware of what's taking place on the bus.
So they are all highly trained.
They are wonderful individuals who truly care about the children that they drive.
Oh, yeah. I just, I couldn't put up with it.
You know, fighting and the screaming and the hollering and the throwing things.
And I'm not saying that happens a lot, but it can happen.
Yes, it can.
And you're at the mercy when you're driving a bus of other people on the road.
And you hear these horror stories.
It's rare, but you hear them wear the bus at an accident because some trucker or some car got in its way.
And I mean, it does happen, but you're dealing with, as my father would say, precious cargo.
Absolutely.
This is it.
And before we get to all the stuff from the Racine County Traffic Safety Commission,
this always comes up when we talk about buses.
It comes up with the seat belts.
Here's what I was told.
A lot of the buses, or you say some now have them, but most buses don't have seat belts.
In an emergency, you couldn't start unbuckling 50 kids.
If God forbid, there was an accident.
I mean, starting to unbuckle 50 children would take so long.
And they said, you know, four across the entire bus.
And I'm told, that's why.
But then people say, well, if it gets into an accident, they're like little lot of balls flying all over the bus
because they hit the ceiling and everything.
So which is worse, buckling them in or not buckling them in.
It's a good question.
Yeah.
And that is a question that's being discussed all across transportation when it comes to it.
I'm part of the National Association of People Transportation.
And there has always been, there's two sides of that.
The difficulty is, if you notice most buses are top heavy anyway.
So if they do roll, just like in your car, if you happen to roll your car,
the pressure of your own body will make unbuckling the seat belt almost impossible
because the weight against that buckle will hold you in the seat.
You will not be able to, you have to actually cut yourself out.
They actually sell a little things you can cut yourself out of the seat belt.
But with the school bus, like you said, if you have 50 to 80 passengers and it rolls,
one of the demonstrations I saw was that they took an older school bus and they had it catch fire.
And within three minutes, the entire bus is completely engulfed in smoke
that you cannot see through the bus.
And within five, the entire bus can be in flames depending on what's inside,
coats, backpacks, all those things.
It's just easier to open the back doors.
I'm pushing all the kids out the back door.
Well, you know, a bus drivers have a very limited time to get the children out.
And if the bus rolls, just as you had said, how do you get through all of those seat belts
in a reasonable period of time because that precious cargo has to get out of the bus
and safely in as quickly as possible?
I don't know.
I couldn't do the job.
I would be, you know, anxiety written the entire time.
You're dealing with so many people that you're responsible for.
You're like the pilot on a plane.
Absolutely.
I mean, you're responsible.
But the pilot, you have a goal, it's on the plane.
It's lately, I mean, they act like kids sometimes, but with all these kids
and they're excited and they're, you know, making noise and telling on each other.
Well, and this is one of those things that's important also for parents to, you know,
it's not only important to teach your children how to get from home to the bus stop and back safely.
It's also important to teach them what to do once they get on the school bus,
getting to their seat quickly, getting to their seat and staying in their seat,
not throwing items around the bus.
And here's a big, another big one.
Get out to the bus stop on time.
Don't make the bus driver wait for you.
Yeah, five minutes early is what we ask in our school district.
I know there are other districts in the area that say 10 to 15 minutes early.
That doesn't mean the bus will be there, but it's better that you're there early.
So that that way, if it is running a little bit ahead of time, you can get on the bus
and then keep the time flow going for everybody else to be up.
I knew a bus driver, school bus driver, and occasionally they had to park their bus empty
in like a shopping center area.
And I said, what are you doing that?
Because if there's an emergency and the bus doesn't work, I pull right out and take, take over.
Yep.
So there's always backup buses sitting all over town.
They look like they're doing nothing and they are doing nothing, but they're waiting in case
there's an emergency with a bus engine stops.
They got to pick up all the kids and they're ready to go.
Yes, we have three standby buses at all times ready to go in case something just like that happens.
And it does happen.
Engines break and tires go flat.
All right, this is from the Racine County Traffic Safety Commission.
If you go to their website, RacineCounty.com slash staying safe.
You'll see what I'm talking about here.
Well, it's great.
They wrote white on light gray.
Let me see if I can read this here.
Okay, who did that?
The law requires school buses in Wisconsin to have flashing amber lights.
Oh, that's hard to read.
You see that?
Yes.
Oh, I gotta get rid of this.
Used as a warning to drivers that the bus is preparing to stop.
I didn't realize that.
So the lights start flashing before they stop.
When you see the yellow lights, what will end up happening is the yellow light is a warning.
It lets you know that just like with the yellow light, you need to prepare to stop.
And in some cases, our school buses by law can only activate their yellows.
This happens in areas they will not ever flash their reds or put out a stoparm.
In a neighborhood that has curbs on both sides of the street and sidewalks on both sides of the street.
The only difference is stirred event does had an ordinance that allows it.
But for city of receipt, why wouldn't the stop sign command on the bus?
Because when there are curbs and sidewalks on both sides,
all the other communities in our area have said that the school buses cannot put them out due to flow of traffic.
We always make sure that those stops will be what are called right side stops.
So the students don't need the stoparm to cross them.
But they may have to go down across the stop sign or stop crosswalk and come back to where the bus is.
When the yellow lights are flashing, you need to be prepared that there could be children in the area.
However, when the reds come on, that's when you need to stop.
I didn't realize it.
I thought every time they open that door to let kids out, the stop sign comes out.
And when we get further along on the website, they'll actually talk about that as well.
When children are getting off the bus, they should walk straight ahead and move at least 10 feet from the bus.
Yeah, they should, but you're dealing with little kids and they don't always do that.
Right. And the proximity is extraordinarily important.
There have been some absolutely heart wrenching stories, even in our state of Wisconsin,
where students have crossed too close to the bus.
The driver cannot see them because of the hood or the chassis that's in front of them or behind the bus.
And that does cause issues as well.
There is now a safety device.
We were just talking about additions.
You'll see a giant sweep arm that comes out in front of the bumpers.
Yes, and it comes out and it forces the children to walk around it.
Again, teach your children that isn't a toy.
You don't try to limbo under it.
You don't try to do anything go around it because it provides that the driver can see it.
And the students should never cross until they make eye contact with the driver and the driver signals that it's safe.
Because unfortunately, there are people that are distracted or are in a hurry and not paying attention or following the law
and will bus pass buses that are stopped.
And we need to ensure the students' safety.
Students have been hit by cars.
And they need to make sure that the driver has looked and seen that both sides of the traffic have stopped.
And then signal the child if they do need to cross.
In front of the bus, the most dangerous area within the danger zone.
A number of blind spots which the driver cannot see small children.
It's a big thing of bus.
I mean, sometimes you can't see the front of your car.
Or if you have an SUV, it's tough.
Imagine having a school bus.
Well, with your car, think about a toddler.
You know, if you have a toddler playing in a driveway near your car.
You can't see him in the back.
You can't see him.
Children must be educated to move forward away from the bus until they can see the bus driver's face.
There, the bus driver can see them as well.
Right. If you, if he can see you, you can see him.
That's good advice.
A passing car cannot see a child since the large bus hides the children from sight of the vehicle.
You would think if you saw a school bus stop, you would slow down and take extra precautions just in case the kid darts out.
I mean, they'll do it sometime.
I mean, these are, this is suggested.
And it's meant, but you did with little kids.
They don't follow the rules all the time.
They're excited.
They're home.
They run out in front of the bus.
I mean, slow down.
Well, and they also talk to their friends.
So they'll be looking at each other and not into the road.
So that's again, where the driver will signal them to let them know that they see that all traffic has stopped.
Small children are in danger in the back of the bus since the bus driver cannot see these children at all.
Yeah, if they get off the bus and they want to cross in the back of the bus, you can't see them.
Yeah, can't see an adult back there sometimes.
The bus is high.
And especially the back right hand side of a school bus, that zone from where that tire is all the way around to the middle back of the bus is the most dangerous area in on the back half of the bus.
Just because of the way the mirrors are aligned to see cars that creates a blind spot back there.
We talked about this briefly, but red lights versus yellow lights on the bus.
Yes.
Again, yellow lights are a warning or an activation to let you know that the bus is going to stop.
If you see a bus stopped with yellows, that does not mean that it's a driver that you need to stop.
But you do need to proceed with caution.
Reduce your speed.
Be more aware of what's going on around you and what's going on around that bus.
As you were just saying, Don, a child can go zipping out or they'll be talking to their friends.
They're not really paying attention as much as they should.
The driver needs to take responsibility for their vehicle.
Yeah, these kids are like five, six, seven years old.
I mean, think about that.
And the red light, you got to stop.
Yeah, now the red lights always cause some confusion about this time of year.
When I see a bus with a stoparm extended and flashing red, when do I have to stop?
Well, if you're behind the bus, no matter what lane you're in, you need to stop.
If you are traveling the same direction as the bus, if those red lights are activated
and that stoparm is out, you need to stop.
You need to stop behind the bus until that stoparm goes away.
It becomes a de facto stop sign for our intersection right at that moment.
I can't tell you how many times you see people go right past it.
Right.
I see we have a stop sign here in a victory avenue.
I go out and poke my beak out the door every half hour.
So to get some fresh smoke in my lungs.
And from outside all my life, I never smoke the cigarette.
All of a sudden, I'm smoking camels every time I breathe out there.
They just blow the stop sign because they figure it's early in the morning.
No one's there.
It's like it didn't exist.
Right.
Or they're distracted or they're texting.
They don't want to stop.
I think I know what's going on there.
Now, one thing to be aware though is if you are approaching a bus from the other direction.
Right.
Yeah.
If if you are on, let's say, a two or a four lane road with no divider in the middle of it.
And by divider, I mean something that you cannot that you are able.
A divider is something that you cannot drive over.
Whether it's like grass with curbs or things along those lines.
If you cannot drive over it, it's considered a divided highway.
And you do not need to stop on the other side.
A bull apart.
Yeah.
Yeah.
There is no divider in the middle of that or just painted lines that you could drive over.
All sides need to stop.
So if you're approaching it and this does happen, especially in our community,
when you think about Green Bay Road, there are portions of Green Bay Road that are just painted lines.
And if there's a bus on the right side and you're coming from the other direction,
if it's just painted lines, even in that area, you need to stop if that bus is in the other area.
But if it's a physical divider, you do not need to stop if you are approaching from the opposite direction.
A driver of vehicle meeting.
That's a meeting from earlier direction.
A stopped school bus with flashing red lights may not proceed until the flashing red lights have stopped.
A vehicle driver is proceeding in the opposite direction, like you were saying,
on a divided highway, need not stop for a school bus with flashing red lights.
A divided highway is a highway, obviously, with permanent structures in the middle.
But talking about a bull apart, where there are herbs and grass growing in the middle.
How about the red lights may not flash a school bus loading area when the bus is entirely off the travel portion of the road?
I never knew this red flashing thing until you told me this this morning.
Drivers need to stop in a residential or business district where students or other authorized passengers are being loaded or unloaded.
The sidewalks with curbs are present.
But wait, it said to me just reading this.
You explained this before if there are curbs on both sides, you can't use the stop sign.
I never knew this.
No, there's actually ordinances in the city of Racine that prevent that from occurring.
I never knew that.
I always thought you stopped your door opens, the stop sign comes out automatically.
No, it doesn't do that.
No, the drivers have to activate that they have to be aware of it as well.
Oddly enough, if it's on a one way street, it is allowed in certain areas to have the stop arm extended.
But the, yeah, it that's the ordinance in the area.
We said, sir, if it does have an exception to that, they have a different policy, which allows the stop arm to be extended.
You'll even learn special education bus on a one way street where a sidewalk and curb are laid on both sides of the road.
And the student needs to cross the road.
They shall use the flashing red light.
So for special ed students, then they can use it.
Yes, they can run one way streets on one way streets.
Very specific.
I don't know these roles have been existed.
The one thing I would like to say is that also with this, and it's not on the website,
but parents need to teach their children how to safely get to and wait at a bus stop as well.
And ensure that your children are back from the curb, not playing tag, pushing each other, shoving, you know, being kids.
But stay back from that curb because anything can happen in that area.
You have cars passing before the bus is coming.
You have cars that may be swerving if they see a bus stop in front of them and they weren't paying attention.
The kids actually need to get to the bus stop and at least remain somewhat aware of what's going on in the area.
And teach your children to be safe.
I was always a good kid.
I never misbehaved.
My daughter's first day of kindergarten, this is when we lived him around here.
And the first day of kindergarten, we're all waiting for it when she got off the bus at the end,
coming home from school on the first day.
She wasn't there.
Panic, like you wouldn't believe said in.
She got off on the wrong stop.
So I went with the neighbor kids and we traced this and there she was frozen on a street corner where she didn't recognize anything.
She was, you know, five years old.
She didn't recognize anything.
And she's just frozen with her little new dress on with her little school bag just standing there on the corner waiting for help to come.
I felt terrible.
It's terrifying.
I know she didn't get off the bus.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I had a guy named Mr. Clancy was my bus driver.
I only had the buses in kindergarten the rest of the time.
I had a walk.
And Mr. Clancy was also a firefighter.
He wasn't working for the volunteer fire department.
And he was no nonsense.
But he was the nicest guy Mr. Clancy.
But there was no nonsense on the bus.
He was just turned around and give you that look.
You never see anything.
But everybody behaved themselves.
And he was just a great total of things about the fire whistles that blow.
He was just a great bus driver.
We used to love Mr. Clancy.
Again, I only used him for one year on that when I was in kindergarten.
But that was it.
But that makes such a statement because these drivers dedicate their time to supporting you as a child.
These years later, after you have not longer needed the bus, you still remember Mr. Clancy.
You remember him in the mornings.
They're the first face you see in the morning before school starts.
They're the last face you see before you're going home at the end of the day.
You knew all our names.
Yeah. And that's the impact they make.
They care.
They're driving you to be safe.
And, you know, again, to parents and to children, support your school bus drivers.
They're doing everything they can to help.
You know, to this day, I remember in the town I grew up in two short whistles on the fire, you know, fire siren and house fire.
One long one was an emergency.
Hmm.
He told us that.
And I never forgot that.
That's five years old.
You know, how many thousands of years ago that was.
I heard that.
All right.
So if you want to know what we're talking about, we're talking about school bus safety today.
And it's on the website.
The Racine County Traffic Safety Commission's website.
Just go to Racine County dot com slash staying safe.
And you'll see everything we talked about there.
John Strack, who's from the Racine Unified School District.
They're transportation supervisor.
This is your season coming up.
You got one month.
And that's then it all starts.
Absolutely.
And be aware in the community that that's the Racine Unified School District start date.
However, we do have private schools that will be beginning.
So the buses will be on the road starting as soon as next Friday.
August 14th.
What happens somewhere where these poor kids going.
My big panic was I used to start seeing the back to school ads in August.
I said, put them away.
I don't want to see back to school.
I think another month.
Don't start it yet.
Please.
And I remember my mother was saying, now this is like the beginning of August.
We have to start getting you school supplies.
No, we don't.
Start the left of Labor Day.
Stop saying that.
Thank you.
John for coming in.
Thank you.
Thank you.
John.
John.
John.
And this is dedicated people like you.
Making sure kids are safe because once your kids go out there, they're with people.
Sometimes you don't know.
Yeah.
And make sure we get them home safe every day.
John.
From the Racine Unified School District.
He's their transportation supervisor.
And again, this is our monthly staying safe from the Racine County Traffic Safety Commission.
Tom Knitter.
I thank him for setting this all up.