(WWJ) As summer winds down and the school year begins, the Michigan State Police Second District is out with a some important safety reminders for the season.
There are laws in Michigan regarding what to do when you're driving and you see a school bus, says MSP First Lt. Mile Shaw.
On 'Traffic Tip Tuesday' Shaw shared an instructional video reiterating to Metro Detroiters what state law says as it relates to school buses.
The first thing to keep in mind: When you see a school bus with red lights flashing, that means the bus is coming to a stop, and you must stop as well.
"The red lights go on — usually the school bus driver will put on the yellow ones first to let you know they're gonna stop, and then they hit those red ones to let people know that they actually are stopping," Shaw said. "And that's where you actually have to stop, when those red lights come on."
While most drivers are familiar with this rule, what some may not realize is that the same rules apply of you are on the opposite side of the street from the bus, even while traveling on a multi-lane roadway. "Still, everybody has to stop," the lieutenant stressed. "...And once they turn those indicators off, that's when it's safe to go, cautiously, of course."
The only time the law doesn't apply is when you're driving on a divided highway with an unpaved knoll or an actual barrier in between, and the school bus is on the other side of the barrier.
In any and all cases when there's a school bus around, Shaw urged drivers to "use some pretty good caution," paying particular attention to the front and the back of the bus, where children may be about to cross the street.
Speaking to students and parents, Shaw urged the kids to buddy up and walk to the bus stop with a friend when possible, and always make sure that the bus has fully stopped before approaching the vehicle to board.
Keep in mind that these big buses have big blind spots towards both the back and the front of the bus, Shaw said.
Something else to think about as kids are walking to and from the bus stop:
Shaw advised parents to remind kids about stranger danger: "Not to get into a stranger's car. If they see somebody, or somebody approaches them, that they think is suspicious to them, make sure they're not afraid to let you know as the parents, and they let us know so we can investigate it."
While many reported situations end up being innocuous, Shaw said it's always better to be overly cautious. "And like we say about any time of of incidents that people think are suspicious, we'd rather have a hundred false alarms than have one thing actually happen that no one told us about."
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