Safety measures need fixing after car struck 12-year-old middle school student while getting off school bus

A 12-year-old female Broadview Middle School student suffered a head injury and broken arm after being hit by a car, driven by Amanda Simon of N.J., at 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Padanaram Road and North Street in Danbury, Conn.

Elementary and middle school students of the Danbury public school system who live on Padanaram Avenue and take the bus to and/or from school must cross two lanes of traffic to get to and/or from the school bus.

I am familiar with the routine because, as a life-long Padanaram Avenue resident who attended Danbury public schools, I used to have to cross these lanes of traffic, and have always felt that there was something wrong with risking the lives of innocent children by having them cross two lanes of traffic, knowing that drivers sometimes do not pay attention while driving.

Approximate area where 12-year-old was hit by car.

It seems as though the only concern people have in the case of this 12-year-old girl is the responsibility of the drivers, but I believe if not most, then at least an equal amount of attention and responsibility should be placed on the Danbury public school system and/or the bus company they use, Student Transportation of America, to transport students to and from school.

According to Danbury police, Simon was traveling south on Padanaram Road when she tried to pass two vehicles stopped ahead of her and apparently did not see the bus or its flashing warning signals when she ran into the middle school student.

Although stopping for school buses is something people learn and must know in order to get their license, drivers are human beings and mistakes happen. I am not excusing Simon from what occurred, but I believe measures could be taken to ensure the safety of students getting on and off school buses by those who decide school bus routes.

Even Capt. Thomas Wendel of the Danbury Police Department said that not seeing school buses when they are stopped is a "persistent problem among drivers, many of whom [don't] consider that the "reason (the care in front of you) is stopped is possibly for pedestrians and/or a school bus" (Jany).

If this is such a persistent problem, would it not make sense to have buses drop off and pick up children on the same side of the road as their marked bus-stops instead of having them cross roads where they are at risk of being hit by a careless driver?

Padanaram Road is known for being a busy traffic area, particularly in the afternoon when school days end and buses drop off children. Broadview Middle School students who go on to attend Danbury High School no longer have to cross hectic Padanaram Road to get to and from their bus—they are dropped off on the same side of the road as their bus stop.

Wendel said that "parents can instruct their children that even thought the bus has its lights on, they still should be cautious, especially when crossing multiple lanes" (Jany), which is true and something that most parents teach their children when they learn to walk and can comprehend such instructions, but where is the sensibility in having elementary and middle school children cross multiple lanes while high school students with the same bus stop do not?

Compared to elementary and middle school children, teenagers seem to have a more heightened sense of awareness and judgment when it comes to crossing roads, and would be more attentive of potential oncoming vehicles that do not appear to be stopping for a bus' blinking lights. Because of this difference in alertness and judgment, it is more likely that a elementary or middle school student would be at risk of being struck by a vehicle that illegally does not stop for a school bus than a high school student.

The fact that high school students are safely being dropped off at their bus stop near the intersection of North Street and Padanaram Road while elementary and middle school students are forced to cross two lanes of traffic does not make sense to me, and I believe whoever determines where buses pick up and drop of students ought to fix this issue to ensure children's well-being.

Works Cited

Jany, Libor. "12-year-old girl struck while getting off school bus." News Times. Hearst Communications Inc., 25 Feb. 2011. Web. 3 March 2011.

Langlois, Mark. "Broadview Student Hit By Car on Padanaram." Danbury Patch. Patch, 25 Feb. 2011. Web. 3 March 2011.