Broken Arrow Schools Reminds Drivers To Pay Attention On Roads After 3 Wrecks In 1 Week Involving School Buses

Broken Arrow Schools is reminding drivers to be careful on the roads after three separate wrecks where cars rear-ended school buses.

The school says no one was hurt during these wrecks, but they are seeing more and more distracted drivers on the road.

After three separate incidents of drivers rear-ending school buses in one week, Broken Arrow schools need people to slow down and pay attention when a bus is near.

"There are a lot of drivers out there, we are in a hurry, we've got a lot of deadlines to meet, so sometimes we do find that vehicles will rear-end the bus," said Jennifer Hayes, the assistant director of transportation.

If you see a bus with flashing red lights or a stop sign, you need to stop and stay stopped until the bus moves.

Transportation manager Tammie White says if you're not paying attention, it could be too late.

"It does take it a little bit to come to a complete stop because it is a large moving vehicle, so it's important that other drivers give the proper distance between them and the bus in front of or behind them," White says.

She says there are 150 bus drivers in the district and they do a phenomenal job keeping students safe, but it can't just be up to them.

"They go through a thorough training procedure, so they know their job, and so that's why it's important our parents and our community support them to get our students transported safely," she said.

Hayes says they spend time teaching the students about how to safely get off the bus, and use the crosswalks, but anything can happen, so they need drivers to be alert.

"Just remember that we are the adults, we're the ones who are out on the road, we're to be responsible, and be aware of them, sure they should be aware of their circumstances but it's more important that we protect our most precious asset," she said.

Hayes says it is policy that when there's an accident police will respond and every student is checked out before being released.