Kids and traffic

[puckin_A]

ok, I am sure you heard about the tragic accident that killed a six year old child yesterday. An 83 year old woman neglected to see the bus stop sign and lights blinking and hit a young girl and killed her. Now this is what caught my attention.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=6973968

there is no way in hell I would want my six year old crossing this street with those cars going that fast, by herself!! I would have someone go get her and help her cross. Plus, this day and age, I wouldn't let my six year old walk home by herself either. (now I don't know if other kids were around and she was just the one to get hit or what. Very tragic.

you have to bring up the video on her.

[caniac369]

Authorities said the bus stopped along North Hills Drive to let 6-year-old Ashley Ramos-Hernandez off. While she crossed the street, she was struck.


I know that intersection (it's not far from where I used to live). I can't believe a small child would be expected to cross there.

[nccanes]

I was going to say the same thing. I'm surprised that on a road that busy and that wide, that they'd expect kids to cross. Bet they won't anymore.

That's the kind of street where people to really stupid **** because there's enough leeway for cars to act like they can pass, even though it's not a 2 lane road. Obviously this woman didn't realize that a child would be crossing or didn't notice the lights, but that street was truly an accident waiting to happen if they let kids cross.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Yep, it looked like it was a miracle something didn't happen before now.

[SoCalcaniac]

We have several roads in Southwestern Wake/Cary/Apex/Morrisville, that I'm sure when next rolls around and everyone is back on the roads where there will be near death goings on. (DAVIS DRIVE near High House specifically and 3 different roads here in Apex where kids are dropped off at intersection corners because buses don't want to have to turn into a subdivision and have to come out into traffic) Surely there are tons more of these terrible bus stop situations waiting to happen.

The other side of this is the ongoing discussion about when is it time for an elderly person to stop driving. Why did she not see the flashing bus lights? This subject is a sensitive one, and I'm sure many of us know of someone who is getting up in age and the whole should or shouldn't drive thing comes into play. It's a very touchy subject, but I can't help but wonder if this lady should have been driving.

When we still had a land line in our house, our phone number was a digit away from the Wake County Schools Transportation "hotline" - basically the number you would call to find out your kid's route, bus number, etc. or to let them know the bus missed your kid's stop. When all the explosive growth happened here in SW Wake late 90's thru early 2000's we'd have a voicemail full of parents leaving VM's about little Brittney or Joshua not getting picked up, or the bus being an hour late in Haddon Hall and on and on. With the cutbacks and the various new schools and stops, I can't even imagine what kinds of calls they get now. I'm just glad that we ditched the land line a couple years ago.

This is a horrible tragedy. Really horrible. I just hope they think hard about changing that bus stop. Especially since it sounds so dangerous.

[kermelbar]

^ Lots of people have been quick to jump on her age -- and I am of the opinion that after a certain age, you should have to take some of the driving tests a little more often to ensure you *can* be a safe driver -- but what jumps out at me in this story is the woman saying she didn't see the lights or sign, when it seems every witness has said otherwise. Was she distracted? Does she have a vision problem that should have kept her off the road whether she was 83 or 43?

Personally, when I'm behind/approaching a bus and it stops, even before the lights are on and the sign is out, I slow waaaaay down and/or stop until I know what it's or what any kinds in the area are doing.

[nccanes]

Same here K. I just kinda presume that the lights might come on, or the driver might forget or whatever. I've had drivers wave me on when they are stopped w/o their lights on because they are talking to a parent and it STILL makes me nervous.

There is no way I would pass a stopped schoolbus, lights or no lights.

[SouthernHockeyChick]

^ Same with me as well.

The combo of "didn't see" the lights plus hearing a thud and not stopping when you've admitted you NOTICED the SCHOOL bus sorta proves this is someone who absolutely should not have been driving, IMO.

[puckin_A]

what needs to happen is the DMV should have mandatory driving test at a certain age. Some 80 year olds would do fine, alot would not! A good driving test should weed them out.

[puckin_A]

maybe they also need to have crossing guards ride the bus. Get out with a BIG STOP SIGN and then let the kids cross.

[Jay]

My grandmother was in Stage 2 of Alsheimers. The doc said she couldn't drive, but her DL expired in 3mos. Doc said "she'll never pass the sign test".

The DMV person let her take the test 5 times, the final time walking her through each answer.

As Penn & Teller would say... that's BULL****

[c-girl]

This may seem to be a radical approach but I think ALL drivers at ALL ages should be retested at each renewal time. Anyone at any age could experience conditions that would make them dangerous on the road.

[puckin_A]

seriously, I wouldn't even mind that. After driving for a bazillion years, I could probably pass. :)

[toastmasterbone]

This incident has really been ticking me off. There's the tragedy itself, but then the account by Sheehan in yesterday's NANDO (http://www.newsobserver.com/news/sheehan/story/1662402.html) that "According to annual counts by the state Department of Public Instruction, more than 2,000 stop-arm violations occur every day [emphasis mine] in North Carolina."

WTF? Bunch of nimrod drivers. Hit a tree, you b@stards.

Couldn't cameras be installed on buses that can be activated with a simple thumb switch on the steering wheel? It would need to get a picture of the extended stop-sign for proof, but I'd be hip to having people get hit with, say, a $1000 fine for running the gate. If cameras cost too much, maybe some retractable spike strips.

[Shell]

FABULOUS idea. Way better than the red light cameras. Love it!

[puckin_A]

that is a great idea Toastie!