POLAND, Maine (AP) - The regional school district based in Poland, Maine, has a possible antidote to drivers who refuse to stop for school buses’ red flashing lights.
The Sun Journal (https://bit.ly/2jPOp9p ) reports that RSU 16 has outfitted three buses with a metal arm that swings 6 feet into the road when the driver turns on flashing reds.
Bus drivers say drivers are illegally passing buses both because they’re distracted, ignorant of the law or just don’t care. Debra Plowman of the Maine Department of Education says the safety problem has become a “national issue.”
John Hawley, RSU 16 operations manager, said the newly equipped buses are getting drivers’ attention. He said the 6-foot-long metal arms cost $1,200 per bus. Despite the cost, officials are considering equipping more buses with them.
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