It is a new year, and students are back in school. What better time, then, to refresh our memories on school-bus safety when students are getting on or off — especially now, with winter’s more challenging driving conditions?

First, the state law. Drivers in either direction on a road or street must stop no closer than 20 feet from a school bus that is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop sign extended. They must remain stopped until the lights and sign are off and then proceed with caution, watching out for any students in the vicinity. The only exception is for vehicles going in the opposite direction of a stopped bus: They may proceed with caution if there is a median or barrier separating the two directions of traffic.

Both the Marble Charter School (MCS) and the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) employ buses to transport students to, from and within Marble, Redstone and Carbondale, with the bulk of the trip on Highway 133. The Sopris Sun spoke recently with MCS drivers Angus Barber and Ron Leach (along with MCS Director Sam Richings-Germain, who occasionally drives the school’s small van) and RFSD driver Gene Schilling.

The very good news is that, overwhelmingly, drivers encountering stopped buses do obey the law, and that riding the bus is extremely safe for students. Barber noted MCS’s “perfect safety record” with students on buses, and Schilling stated that there have been no incidents with students during his more than 45 years behind the wheel. Richings-Germain stressed that parents should be completely confident with their children’s safety, continuing, “Our drivers are amazing and care so deeply about keeping kids safe.”

Barber said, “Generally, the vast majority of motorists are extremely courteous with us,” noting that only “a tiny minority” of drivers run through the lights and stop sign. Leach thought it was “maybe once every two weeks.” Schilling, who was also Carbondale’s longtime police chief, has observed even fewer, maybe one per month, but he also indicated that the problem is “worse now than decades ago — so much more traffic, more people in a hurry.”

Leach has been driving for MCS for six years, but he also brings the perspective of his long tenure with the town’s fire station, including as chief. “I’ve had 50 years of dealing with 133,” he told The Sun. “The main issue on that road is speed: People go too fast.”

And that is the problem. Drivers just can’t stop in time, especially coming around some of 133’s “blind” corners or when roads are slick. Leach continued, “People are not paying attention; it’s not intentional” when they run the lights. Barber and Schilling concurred.

What is intentional (and more common), the three noted, are vehicles going around a bus or passing it from the opposite direction when the amber warning lights are on. Even more troubling, they have seen vehicles passing a bus in a double-yellow-line, no-passing zone. Schilling stated the obvious: “It could cause a serious accident.”

Fortunately, the drivers for both MCS and RFSD are highly trained and follow strict safety procedures when picking up or dropping off students. No children cross a road or street unless the driver has determined that the road is clear or traffic has stopped, and only then gives them the go-ahead to proceed.

Enforcement can be challenging, especially for MCS drivers. Although their buses have cameras, those devices are not useful at catching “runners.” RFSD buses, however, are equipped with sophisticated cameras that can take a photo of a violator’s license plate and “bookmark” it for easy sharing with the RFSD dispatcher and, ultimately, the proper police authority.

The three drivers and Richings-Germain had nothing but praise for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), which patrols nearly all of 133 between Carbondale and Marble. Richings-Germain described PCSO as being “super supportive” of the drivers. One highly effective strategy has been two or three times a week a deputy follows in their car and pulls out with its lights on when the bus is stopped.

Richings-Germain emphasized, “The kids love riding the bus,” which is not only safe but fun, though, “It is important to have regular reminders about bus safety.”

We have been reminded.