Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office add new ways for bus safety
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – With the school year kicking off, deputies in Lowndes County are putting safety front and center, especially when it comes to kids getting on and off the bus.
As the school year starts, they’re sending a strong reminder to drivers: stop means stop.
“People are not used to seeing buses back out on the road, so we are trying to remind drivers to be more cautious and hopefully stop for school buses when they are letting kids off the bus,” The Lowndes County Sheriff, Eddie Hawkins, said. “So today, what we are planning on doing is we’ll have a deputy riding on a bus and radioing ahead when somebody does pass a stopped school bus to another deputy who will stop that vehicle and issue a citation for them breaking the law. It’s not that we are out here trying to pick on the public. We’re just out here trying to promote safety because it is all about the kids and making sure they get on and off the bus to and from school safely.”
The new school year starts for many students, and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office is reminding drivers to be cautious around school buses as they run their routes.
School buses are now equipped with cameras attached to the school bus stop arms.
They can detect vehicles illegally passing them.
Lowndes County School District Superintendent, Sam Allison, said it’s good to stay ahead for the safety of transportation with students.
“The worst thing that can happen in our line of work is to lose a student, and we’ve been fortunate that hasn’t happened in a bus accident,” Allison said. “But, if you watch the news in places, it has so we just want to be preventive, we want to be safe. It’s a very dangerous time entering and exiting a bus, so one thing we want to get the word out there, but also with accountability, brings recognition.”
Truckinfo reports that in 2024, over 120 bus accidents occurred in the state.
The Lowndes County Sheriff Office now have SRO’s (School Resource Officer) riding some school buses to ensure the safety of students and bus drivers.
Sheriff Eddie Hawkins said there’s been a spike in drivers passing stopped buses at the beginning of the school year.
Hawkins also said it’s essential to ensure the safety of students.
“We’ve gotten numerous complaints so this is an idea we came up with on how we can try to solve this problem and bring more awareness to the motorists so that they hear to the laws and we promote safety to the kids,” Hawkins said.
Sheriff Hawkins is encouraging drivers to leave earlier than usual when it’s time for buses to pick up and unload students.
