School speed limits. What's your point of view?

[FJRider]

Maybe bus stops could be fitted with some kind of barrier that means that the kids cant just step out behind the bus onto the road - a simple steel barrier that is mounted on the curb at the left side of bus stops and stretches a distance suitable for both the long and shorter buses.

The stopping places for school buses in rural drop off/pick up are often on busy highways, or narrow back roads, with seldom enough space for the bus to pull off the road fully ... and few take notice of vehicles parked off the road. Flashing lights or not. School buses are varied in size (down here anyway) and vary from 52 seater... to a mini-van.
Most people expect kids around schools... its out on the open road areas that are the danger area.

[yungatart]

This excuse about children making dumb decisions is rubbish. Why is a child who is too young to know that you'll get killed crossing when there's a car coming unsupervised??
Any child over the age of four should know something as simple use the crossing or get an adult to cross you over the road.

Are children taught the Green Cross Code here? It was drummed into me at the age of three at nursery school. I was never knocked down by a car, as a child.

Personal responsibility seems to be be such a dirty word now..

These children are aged 5 and up. They do not have the brain maturity to understand speed and distance at such a young age. They are on a school bus FFS. Who is going to supervise them crossing the road? The driver??

Slow down...it will add a couple of seconds to your journey and may save a life!

Never heard of the "green cross code". I presume since you learned it at "nursery school" you weren't in NZ at the time?

I thought we were talking "personal responsibility" ie...the responsibility of the driver to ensure he /she obeys the law while passing a stationary school bus.

[FJRider]

These children are aged 5 and up. They do not have the brain maturity to understand speed and distance at such a young age. They are on a school bus FFS. Who is going to supervise them crossing the road? The driver??

Slow down...it will add a couple of seconds to your journey and may save a life!

Never heard of the "green cross code". I presume since you learned it at "nursery school" you weren't in NZ at the time?

It is an age thing ... it was stopped years ago. Only "older" members may remember it... depending on what medications they are on...

[Edbear]

School buses have two-foot wide fluro-yellow signs on them with the large word "SCHOOL" printed on.

If you cannot see this, please go and hand your license into the nearest police station until you've been to your local optometrist

If you're unable to slow down in time, then clearly you are already going too fast for the conditions, and deserve what you get for being a fucking tool.

Point taken, but a simple flashing light is very effective at waking people up who may not register the danger immediately. It is very well to say what "should" be, but the reality is that human beings are not that good at it.

The stopping places for school buses in rural drop off/pick up are often on busy highways, or narrow back roads, with seldom enough space for the bus to pull off the road fully ... and few take notice of vehicles parked off the road. Flashing lights or not. School buses are varied in size (down here anyway) and vary from 52 seater... to a mini-van.
Most people expect kids around schools... its out on the open road areas that are the danger area.

Absolutely correct. The death in question was on a rural road and it's not the first in that area. I recall and 8 yr old boy killed in much the same manner but it was a large truck in his case.

These children are aged 5 and up. They do not have the brain maturity to understand speed and distance at such a young age. They are on a school bus FFS. Who is going to supervise them crossing the road? The driver??

Slow down...it will add a couple of seconds to your journey and may save a life!

Never heard of the "green cross code". I presume since you learned it at "nursery school" you weren't in NZ at the time?

I thought we were talking "personal responsibility" ie...the responsibility of the driver to ensure he /she obeys the law while passing a stationary school bus.

Again, absolutely right!

[Dave Lobster]

These children are aged 5 and up. They do not have the brain maturity to understand speed and distance at such a young age. They are on a school bus FFS. Who is going to supervise them crossing the road? The driver??

If they're aged five, the person picking them up from the bus. A five year old isn't likely to be walking home from the bus drop off/pick up on its own, is it?

Slow down...it will add a couple of seconds to your journey and may save a life!

I don't go fast to start with. I ride a scooter.

Never heard of the "green cross code". I presume since you learned it at "nursery school" you weren't in NZ at the time?

Of course, if you've never heard of it. But there must be something similar here. There's road safety lessons for five year olds, isn't there? As soon as children are big enough to be out walking with their parents (or parent...) they'll be taught basics like look for cars before crossing the road.

I thought we were talking "personal responsibility" ie...the responsibility of the driver to ensure he /she obeys the law while passing a stationary school bus.

Yeah, just like the laws that everyone else obeys.. like strap your children in.. concentrate on driving, rather than tapping text messages/not dropping ash in your lap/controlling the children in the back seat/making sure your mirrors point behind, rather than at the sky/etc.

[MisterD]

Never heard of the "green cross code". I presume since you learned it at "nursery school" you weren't in NZ at the time?

David Prowse will always be the Green Cross Code Man first...and Darth Vader somewhere down the list...

[PirateJafa]

Point taken, but a simple flashing light is very effective at waking people up who may not register the danger immediately. It is very well to say what "should" be, but the reality is that human beings are not that good at it.

Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong WRONG.

This is the problem with NZ - thinking like this. It's the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

Retards need to be taken OFF the road, instead of just dumbing the road down further for them.

It is a privilege to have a license, not a right. Cars/bikes are potentially lethal, to both the driver/riders, and to pedestrians - unfortunately people don't tend to realise this.

[FJRider]

A simple flashing light is very effective at waking people up who may not register the danger immediately. It is very well to say what "should" be, but the reality is that human beings are not that good at it.

Every man and his dog has a flashing ligh on their vehicle now. Often forget to turn the bloody thing off when out of their danger areas where they were needed.

Too often its a case of ... I never saw him... so it can't be my fault...

Personal responsibility ... its up to us to take it seriously ...

I have not heard of many (any) motorcyclists hitting a kid on the open road in these sort of situations, and I don't want to...

[yungatart]

It is an age thing ... it was stopped years ago. Only "older" members may remember it... depending on what medications they are on...

I am old. I'm not on medication...my memory must be falling apart...

[Edbear]

Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong WRONG.

This is the problem with NZ - thinking like this. It's the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.

Retards need to be taken OFF the road, instead of just dumbing the road down further for them.

It is a privilege to have a license, not a right. Cars/bikes are potentially lethal, to both the driver/riders, and to pedestrians - unfortunately people don't tend to realise this.

No, think about it. The accident happened, it was reality. Such accidents happen regularly and most "accidents" could have been prevented if the person(s) concerned were doing the "right thing". The road toll "should" be near zero.

The reality is that "retards" are not and never will be taken off the road. The reality is that such deaths are going to occur on a regular basis. The reality is that brain-fade and a moment's innattention is going to occur to all drivers at some point - you will know for yourself that you have had times on the road that you knew you were "lucky" not to have an accident due to your own failure as have we all.

How often have we heard people say, "But it was because..." as though it "should" have been different? MAybe it should have been different but the point is, it happened! People are dying and being horribly injured every day in all walks of life an at any time. That's reality. It is also reality that a flashing light makes a difference whether you like it or not.

You can postulate all sorts of "should be's", but the Ambulance is always going to be needed at the bottom of the cliff no matter how hard anyone tries to negate that need.

[Edbear]

Every man and his dog has a flashing ligh on their vehicle now. Often forget to turn the bloody thing off when out of their danger areas where they were needed.

Too often its a case of ... I never saw him... so it can't be my fault...

Personal responsibility ... its up to us to take it seriously ...

I have not heard of many (any) motorcyclists hitting a kid on the open road in these sort of situations, and I don't want to...

Agreed, but trucks and buses, even mini-buses with a single flashing light on the roof are surprisingly visible and do catch a motorist's attention. Any such simple measures that are inexpensive and effective would have to be a "good thing" IMHO.

[FJRider]

You can postulate all sorts of "should be's", but the Ambulance is always going to be needed at the bottom of the cliff no matter how hard anyone tries to negate that need.

The "Ambulance at the bottom of the cliff" is ... and always has been, the cheapest/easiest solution, to most problems. To reduce the use of this "solution" ... always do the right thing, at the right time. Not just when it is convenient for you.

Do we really need more laws and rules ???

[FJRider]

Agreed, but trucks and buses, even mini-buses with a single flashing light on the roof are surprisingly visible and do catch a motorist's attention. Any such simple measures that are inexpensive and effective would have to be a "good thing" IMHO.

Most school buses put their hazzard lights on now, for this very reason. The simple fact that most bus companys that supply school buses, dont use them solely for the school bus runs. Extra laws requiring them needing this ... will be opposed ... strenuously ... by those companys...

But if all obeyed all existing laws now ... they would not be needed.

OH LOOK .... there's a pig flying past ....

[FJRider]

I am old. I'm not on medication...my memory must be falling apart...

Poor old girl, a nip of Whiskey(or similar) a day will suffice for medication ... those Green Cross Code thingys were not memorable anyway...

[martybabe]

Children make childish decisions, They are always doing stupid shit. Slow the fuck down around schools, Its not like it takes any effort.

Yup, sums it up for me. Personal responsibility for sure but I don't give a crap if they're stupid or 300% in the wrong, I don't want to hurt/maim /kill a child because they've had a dumb moment. Even smart Kids are stupid sometimes.