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CLEAR Temp: 90 °F Wind: NW at 10 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 11, 2003 Still puzzled about stopping for a school bus? Today's column is a follow up to an earlier one in which a driver on Highway 234 wanted to know about stopping for a school bus that was still moving with the red lights flashing and came to rest beyond where the driver stopped. He was wondering about his responsibility from that point and how to act should the circumstances occur again. I ended my answer with a call out to anyone who could enlighten both of us regarding a bus moving with the red lights flashing. Well, I got an answer from Stew Hedges, formerly of Medford, who is now the district manager for Laidlaw in Portland. He cited some excerpts from the Oregon Pupil Transportation Manual in his response to me, but I'm going to condense it down from the technical points to what he summarized. Hedges stated "At no time should a school bus activate the red pupil safety lights and still be moving." The school bus safety lights that he is familiar with work as follows: As the bus driver is approaching the bus stop, he or she activates the yellow amber lights by pushing a button. The red safety lights come on with the opening of the service door. Obviously, you would not want to open the door with the bus still moving. Hedges wrote that when he drove a bus in the Applegate/Ruch area, he would often leave the amber lights running and wait for a log truck to go on by so he wouldn't have to make them stop. Once he stopped and opened the door, the red lights would then come on. I'm just guessing, but I think this may be what the original writer was experiencing, the bus driver was just being courteous and letting him continue, especially if there was no other traffic on the road. Advertisement Thanks to Mr. Hedges for the feedback. Dace Cochran, a patrol sergeant with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, writes a weekly Q&A column on police issues for the Mail Tribune. Have a question for him? Write to Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times