BILLINGS- At 48th Street West and Grand Avenue, 11-year-old Ashton Walter waits for her bus to go to school. Despite living right next to a school zone where the speed limit is 35 mph, cars fly past the bus, going well over the speed limit, not even obeying the law to stop.
“People don’t like to slow down on Grand Avenue, and they’ll drive right through the bus” stop, said Ashton’s father, Brandon Walter.
The Walters have experienced this issue for over a year now. One vehicle after another speeds past their driveway and even their daughter’s school bus, even as the bus’s red lights flash.
“It’s frustrating. You hate to see somebody hit the bus as my daughter is getting on the bus,” Walter said.
This problem isn’t unique to the Walter’s neighborhood. The transportation director for Billings Public Schools, Keith Adams, says this happens everywhere.
“It’s a nationwide problem for sure,” said Adams.
He says the district is aware this is happening in neighborhoods through Billings.
“It’s something that motorists either don’t care about, don’t notice, or don’t take seriously,” Adams said.
Cracking down on motorists is easier said than done.
Adams says bus drivers with First Student routinely report incidents like this, and that gets handed over to police.
However, for a citation to be issued, law enforcement has to catch the careless driver in the act themselves.
“My wife has contacted, I think, the city, the bus department, the sheriff’s office and stuff,” Walter said.
The sheriff’s office said they would send a deputy to watch the intersection, but the Walters aren’t sure if they’ve done anything yet.
Walter worries it’s only a matter of time until a child gets hurt or even worse.
“With all the schools, it’s a big concern. Nobody probably wants their child hit or have an accident,” Walter said.
Especially in the winter, when roads are already slick. To find more about the laws regarding school buses, visit this website Montana Video Shows When, How Motorists Should Stop for Buses -.
