Bus garage: vehicles aren't stopping for school busses

Johnson County Schools and its bus garage are asking motorists to stop at school bus pick up and drop off spots. "We still have issues with people not stopping the way they should near our buses as they pick up and drop off children," Lisa Mullins of the Johnson County School Bus Garage said. When a bus is stopped, according to TN Code 55-8-151, traffic in both directions of a two-lane road must stop. On multi-lane roads, all traffic must also stop in both lanes unless there is a physical median. In the case where it is a divided highway with a physical median or barrier, vehicles traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop. This includes roads like U.S. 421/Shady Street with a center turn lane, but no physical median. In Johnson County, there are no physical medians on publicly-maintained roads. School buses first flash yellow lights indicating they are about to stop, then display red flashing lights when they are stopped and allowing children to exit or enter. Drivers near a stopped school bus must remain stopped and may only proceed with caution once the bus has started moving again, turned off its flashing lights and retracted the STOP sign on the side of the bus or have been given a visual go-ahead. The penalty for failing to abide by these laws carries a fine and adds eight points to one's drivers license. Car safety has been in the headlines after a Milligan University cycling team was struck by a vehicle on Highway 19 East near Hampton. According to law enforcement and the university, two of the cyclists died and five others were seriously injured. The driver is facing multiple charges. In an area surrounded by school districts with bus driver shortages, Johnson County has filled their bus driver positions and even have drivers on standby as needed due to the fact that our school district offers employee benefits.