MHP Troopers Conduct School Bus Detail To Emphasize Safety

PONTOTOC COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers were providing extra protection as school buses were picking up children.

The bus detail follows last week’s tragic death of a nine year old Lee County child who was hit while boarding his school bus.

For this route, Bus 97 had a guest passenger.

Corporal Brad Hogue is with Troop F of the Mississipi Highway Patrol.  He’s making sure motorists stop as the bus picks up its precious cargo.

Captain Chad Moore follows in an unmarked unit as part of the school bus detail.

“This bus, this morning, was one of the ones we have a tremendous problem with because it is on the four lane, U.S. 278, and people are driving faster,” Capt. Moore said.

Bus driver Marcia Russell is also a teacher at North Pontotoc Attendance Center. She makes sure to take every safety precaution including extending the safety arm, the stop sign and switching on those flashing lights. Still, she says some drivers disregard it all.

“Sometimes people just keep on going. Sometimes, as I am braking, my yellow lights on, some of the drivers are almost like NASCAR, trying to weave in and out trying to get a little bit ahead,” Russell said.

All the motorists on the bus route we were following with MHP did what they were supposed to do. They obeyed the law. Of course, the tragic events of last week are still on the minds of everyone, but bus drivers and highway patrol know motorists have short memories and attention spans.

“Something like this happens, it’s on the news, and seems we don’t have as a big of problem with it for awhile, but it doesn’t take them as long to start getting back into those bad habits again,” Capt. Moore said.

Moore also says drivers distracted by their cell phones is the biggest problem.  And when troopers aren’t on the buses, drivers get help from students, like Julian King, who get tag numbers of motorists who make an illegal pass.

Why is it important for people to stop when buses are stopped?

“So they won’t hit any children,” King said.

MHP Troop F also conducted school bus details in Tippah and Alcorn counties.