A Lubbock bus driver said she has recorded more than two dozen motorists cruising past her school bus illegally on her regular route.
JoyAnna Hester, who has driven for seven years, said she captured between 25-30 “red light runners” in the last few months.
“It’s really dangerous,” she explained. “We have students who cross the street, and we’ve seen tragedies through 2016, where students are crossing in front of the bus, and drivers aren’t stopping and they get hit.”
She said the buses are equipped with a set of yellow lights that flash as she prepares to stop, then a set of red lights that flash while the door is open and she’s dropping off or picking up students. A stop sign arm also extends out to alert other drivers. Vehicles in both directions must stop until the lights stop flashing and the arm goes back up. The exception would be if there is a median in the road, drivers in the opposite direction are not required to stop.
On the first day back from winter vacation on January 3, she saw “three cars in the morning, and three cars in the afternoon run my reds, all at the same stop.” Her route includes transporting students in Frenship Independent School District.
She said she recorded video of multiple drivers ignoring the bus lights, and even spotted a postal worker disobeying the rules.
Hester said there are two different types of offenders: the ‘creeper,’ and the ‘blatant.’
“There are the ones that purposely blow right through, and there are ones that slow down and creep through, it’s like ‘you can’t see me.’ Yes I can, you’re still making an illegal move. You have to stop,” she said.
“I don’t have any kids. My bus kids are my kids,” she mentioned. “I know I’d be extremely hurt and extremely upset if any of my kids got hurt.”
“Remember the outcome,” said Sergeant John Gonzalez, of Texas Department of Public Safety. “If there’s injuries as a result of that or property damage as well as death to an individual, there could be criminal charges.”
Gonzalez urged drivers to avoid distracted driving, and pay attention especially when near buses and schools.
“[If] you have children, you have grandchildren, you have kids in school, think about that if that were your child. Put yourself in those shoes,” he explained.
He said crashes involving students rarely occur in the Lubbock area, but acknowledged it has happened statewide.
“I don’t think i could live with myself of the idea of running over a child,” Gonzalez said. “We need to put our whole entire attention span on our driving.”
Hester said the only way people would learn to abide by the laws, is if they are ticketed for “running our red lights.”
A possible solution, she said, could include the installation of cameras on the stop lights, that record whenever the stop arm is up.
“It would help tremendously,” she said, even offering to volunteer her time to look through the footage to help police write tickets.
The company Hester drives for, Durham School Services, declined to accommodate EverythingLubbock.com’s interview request. However, a spokesperson issued a statement regarding bus safety:
“The safety of our students is our top priority. We appreciate the opportunity to remind fellow motorists that when a school bus is stopped with lights flashing and stop arm extended, it means students are entering or exiting the bus. During this time, motorists should adhere to the law and stop so students can safely enter or exit the bus. Ignoring this law may unnecessarily endanger the lives of our students. As such we are working with the local police to address this serious matter.”
Hester’s ultimatum to other drivers was simply to “pay attention.”
“If you see a bus and their red lights are flashing, stop. Don’t take the chance of hitting a child another car, just stop. If it makes you two seconds late to work, let them know, they don’t care. They’d rather you follow the law then break it,” she said.
