PEAK TO PEAK — Schools in the Peak to Peak region are back in session. That means our kids are walking and biking, and standing at the bus stops in towns and on the highways and side roads. Drivers need to follow the rules of the road to keep our kids on the buses and on the roads safe. It is the law. 

When you are “stuck” behind a bus, reconsider your thinking. Kids need to get to school. The buses cover a large area in our local region and need to be as efficient as possible. Safety is of the utmost importance and all drivers on the road need to play a positive role in student safety by following the law. 

“Knowing when you are required to stop needs to become second nature,” stated Col. Matthew C. Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “School buses create temporary traffic control zones; they are mobile safety zones for the bus and the vulnerable population they transport.” 

Here are four laws that need to be followed in Colorado, per the Colorado State Patrol, when it comes to safety with school buses on the roads.

1. Drivers must stop at least 20 feet before reaching a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing, whether it is on your side of the road, the opposite side of the road, or at an intersection.

2. You are not required to stop if the school bus with its red lights flashing is on a roadway opposite you that is separated by a raised or depressed median or other physical barrier.

3. You must remain stopped until the flashing red lights are no longer operating.

4. Use caution after the school bus begins to move, as there will be children crossing or near the roadway. Wait and watch before proceeding.

Use extreme caution around bus stops and schools. Students are not likely paying attention to the cars. The little ones are excited to see their parents. Friends are talking. Sometimes their art project flies out of their hand in a gust of mountain wind and they panic to grab it. Pay extra attention so all our kids can get to school the next day.