With students returning to school this week and many youngsters just embarking on their educational journey, Busways is reminding motorists across the Great Lakes that when a school bus has its lights flashing they need to slow down to 40km/h.
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Busways regional operations manager, Mark Lawrence, said it was particularly important at this time of year.
"This is one of the busiest times of year on buses and children can be very unpredictable as they get orientated for the new school year," he said.
"They may not know where they are going and are still developing their skills around road safety, meaning it's likely they can run out suddenly from in front of or behind buses. The beginning of the school year is particularly challenging where there are hundreds of students just starting out on their schooling journey."
It is a legal requirement that a driver must not overtake or pass a bus with flashing lights at more than 40km/h.
Drivers who do not adhere to this can face heavy fines and a loss of demerit points if they're caught.
Mr Lawrence also reminded parents to talk to their children about how to safely get on and off a school bus.
He passed on the following sound advice: "Wait for the bus to leave, check the road in both directions for traffic and then cross with caution."
"Parents should wait on the same side of the street as the bus stop if they are meeting their child, so the child does not run across the road to get to them," he added.
"Everyone needs to be vigilant."
Busways managing director, Byron Rowe, said it was important for drivers to understand that when school bus lights were flashing, children were most at risk.
He also said Busways was invested in working with Transport for NSW and other agencies to ensure everyone was aware of the consequences that could result from inappropriate or unsafe behaviour around buses.
Minister for regional transport and roads, Paul Toole, said the NSW Government had invested $18.5 million in employing more school crossing supervisors.
"We've already identified 80 new school crossing supervisor locations, including 19 in regional NSW, as part of the government's commitment to provide 300 new supervisors to schools that may not have been previously eligible," he said.
"This is in addition to a combination of signage, road markings and flashing lights tailored to each school, reminding motorists they're entering a school zone."
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