Rural Nebraska school districts remind drivers to slow down, pay attention to buses

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — When approaching a school bus making a stop, there is something every driver in Nebraska should keep in mind.

“Nebraska law does state that you do need to be slowing down when you’re approaching an area where there is a school bus,” said John Lefler Jr. with the Nebraska Safety Council. “They’re going to be indicating with their lights, flashing yellow or flashing red, their stop arm coming out to indicate that, in fact, they’re coming to a stop.”

But the are many times when people don’t follow the law.

The Norris School District said there have been times when drivers try to pass school buses. That is why it implemented a camera system.

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Norris said buses in rural school districts usually take narrow roads with hills and higher speed limits. 

“Sixty-eighth Street is a concern of ours,” Assistant Superintendent Derrick Joel said. “Sixty-eighth Street is fairly narrowed; there are no shoulders. So we are constantly encouraging our parents, our students, our family members to drive cautiously.” 

Also, many people have expressed concerns about some buses not being required to have seat belts.

“We would prefer that there would be seat belts and some sort of a harness system on all buses,” Lefler said. “But again, school buses and the way they’re designed, they are some of the most regulated vehicles on the road.” 

Lefler said even though buses are designed to prevent crashes, the variables that cannot be controlled are people driving near them.