HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – As Kentucky prepares to spring the clocks forward on March 8, the community is being advised to use caution in the mornings to ensure the safety of students waiting for busses. The Hopkinsville Police Department weighed in on how to accommodate for the later sunrise.
Johnna Brown, Director of Communications with CCPS said busses head out just before 6 a.m. to pick up elementary school students. Once Daylight Saving Time begins, the sun will rise closer to 7 a.m. leaving some of the youngest students in the county waiting for the school bus in darker conditions that usual.
“Our message doesn’t change with darker mornings. Our buses and school campuses are filled with our most treasured people, our students,” said Brown. “We encourage all drivers to remain cautious and vigilant every day, especially when buses are transporting students and around school campuses. Safety is always our top priority.”
With visibility more limited in the morning commute hours, the Hopkinsville Police Department is also reminding the community to use caution around busses and obey traffic laws to keep students safe. This includes maintaining appropriate speed limits in neighborhoods and school zones.
“Drivers need to be more vigilant for children standing near the roadway during morning pickup especially when traveling through neighborhoods,” Officer Justin Rios told Christian County Now. “When a school bus is stopped with signal lights and stop arm activated, vehicles must stop and remain stopped until lights are no longer activated, and the bus begins moving again. These laws exist to protect children during the most vulnerable time of their commute.”
Rios also advised that families may want to consider wearing reflective items of clothing and also ensure that kids stay several feet away from the roadway when waiting to be picked up by the bus.
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