The following was submitted by the alleged driver owho nearly struck a child yesterday.
Thank you for all your comments and for those who judged me favorably.
First I want to tell you that I am as freaked out about this more so than anyone else, since I was the driver who almost ended the life of a young girl.
This is not an excuse but rather an explanation.
When the bus turned slightly left it indicated to oncoming traffic that he intended to turn left. When he stopped, my assumption was because he could not complete the turn due to oncoming traffic. I proceeded since I had the right of way.
Please review the video and you will notice 2 things:
1) When the bus began his turn left and then stopped, he BLOCKED the stop sign from view for the oncoming cars. It looked to me like he was waiting for me to pass before he continued his left turn.
2) If you are thinking that the blinking lights of the bus would be enough – Please note that at 9AM the sun is shining right AT the bus and the blinking lights we not visible.
Again, not an excuse and very very terrifying experience.
Sincerely,
The freaked out but now more careful driver…
WOW
hees moideh al hemes..
then you are what the gemara calls a OWNES (out of your control) and everybody takes back their comments. Sorry if we judged you wrong
When I saw that frightening video yesterday I was wondering, why in the world are children on Central ave being picked up on the wrong side of the street?! I too had a similar incident on Prospect st where my son’s briefcase was hit by a car passing his bus because he had to cross over Prospect st to get home. I caught up with the driver (she pulled onto the next block) & she totally did not notice the bus stopping since she couldn’t fathom a bus stop on the non residential side of Prospect. Mediocre excuse. When I called the bus company & asked that the bus either angle completely across the street or reverse his stop they were very disgruntled. They told me that angling a bus is illegal & they didn’t want to turn into our street to pick him up safely because it takes too long(!). In the end they made him the first stop (an hour earlier!) so the bus would come in the correct direction.
On a side note, yesterday I saw a bus stop on Oak st. in front of a Bais Tova (not in their driveway) & picked up a child. I drive down Oak every day & never saw a bus stop there before as it’s not a residential area. Countless cars passed the bus with the red blinking lights on as it made no logical sense for a bus to stop there. All schools on Oak st. have a driveway for dropping kids off so a stopping bus is a rarity. Not everyone is spacing out but are just doing their normal routine. This proves we have to be extra vigilant. Safe driving!
It is legal to pass a bus with red lights blinking if it is pulled up next to a school. Learn the laws.
Sorry for misjudging you. I’m glad you explained what happened. We always be Dan l’kaf zechus.
The only thing that doesn’t add up is that when a bus driver stops to pick up a child and opens the doors, the yellow stick juts out in front of the bus – was there no yellow stick…?
That’s not what you look out for…
A partial admission – a modeh b’miktzas.
Sorry, it looked to me like you were going way too fast, WITH NO HESITATION AT ALL going through a crowded intersection and crosswalk with a lot going on.
when approaching such a situation, CAUTION IS PRUDENT
AND REQUIRED BY THE LAW AND COMMON SENSE !! SLOW DOWN !!
Always need to be more careful
Nobody purposely goes through bus stop signs – At least I would hope not.
No explanations – be more aware and cautious!
Nobody needs to judge favorabaly in this situation.
Need to be more careful.
Oh, and if the bus wanted to make a left, next time maybe allow the bus to do so. Doesn’t hurt to be courteous.
What about the red lights at the top of the bus??
Not judging, just trying to understand so I don’t make the same mistake.
Sorry just watched video again and the bus had its red lights on before you even passed it. The red lights were very visible to on coming traffic. All the other cars in the area all stopped yet you continued to go. The girl was in the street and had to run back to avoid being hit by you. Yet you just kept going like nothing happened. You should find out who the family is and apologize to them for what could have been a very sad situation.
Please don’t “beat yourself up.” Everything worked out. I know the morning sun makes it hard to see. Going to work, stopping at the stop sign, I couldn’t see anything. I had to get out of my car to look both ways.
Again, everyone is OK. Please don’t worry about it.
What about the 2 cars that turned left on to central ave in front of the bus while his stop sign and red lights were still on
Cars turning left did not pass the bus and I believe it is allowed.
I had a similar experience too… the bus turned with yellow lights on …. but I couldnt see the yellow lights because the bus was already so close to my car after it made the turn to the street I was on … I also thought he was waiting for me to pass … so I went slowly and the bus driver got so mad … I am so careful to stop for busses but you can not see the yellow lights when the bus turns and stops right in front of you … we are good responsible drivers who don’t want to pass busses and don’t want to get yelled at by bus drivers or god forbid ever hurt a child !!! Something needs to be done
I think we should learn something from this story. Firstly, how careful drivers need to be near busses especially in the morning and afternoon drives. Secondly, busses picking up children from the opposite side of the street should cross the bus over the double lines and block both sides of traffic until the child is on the bus.
And finally, busses should make sure traffic is cleared or stoped before opening their door to let a child on the bus .
May all our children be safe.
What u drove straight through a bus stopping with lights on and u were definitely speeding what are we supposed to understand? When we reach a cross walk you are supposed to slow down to see if anyone is there I see it all day. Busses are not always correct the way they stop but if everyone were to slow down and get off their phones there would be less problems. And when I was a kid growing up they were not aloud to stop on main streets like rt9 ,central ave, Sunset rd, or even Countyline Rd and they shouldn’t be aloud to stop on them still. Oh and one more thing parents should to outside with their children waiting for the bus if their young especially if they have to cross a street either going to school or coming home
Sounds like you ARE excusing yourself.
It’s very simple – a bus stoped – at least SLOW DOWN if the sun is shinning at the lights because maybe oh just maybe a child is going on or off
It’s central avenue. The speed limit is 40mph. She wasn’t speeding.
To Understood I’m 57 years old and my bus stop was on Central Ave. I had to cross over to get the bus. My son now 25 had to do the same.
Now that he explained that
I totally see his point
It looked like as he was crossing the very busy street , then the stop sign.
I hate to say this
But this is the Township’s fault
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY SPOTS IN LAKEWOOD ARE PRAY AND HOPE YOU CAN GET ACROSS SAFELY?
Many
Safety is on the below below list
Ticketing and bankrupting the taxpayer is not always the answer.
Many streets are very poorly planned and dangerous.
If the township cared
Really , really cared, they would go street by street, is this street safe? Does this street need a light? Etc
This is not an isolated incident. I see this all the time, every day in Lakewood.
I’ve also had similar experiences where I’ve mentioned to people that they are parked in a handicap spot. They get insulted, and in one case, a man (who to his credit did move his car) took his small girl in his arms and followed me to berate me for pointing it out.
This attitude disgusts me. Mistakes happen, but to defend yourself against a mistake by making excuses is a shanda
Years ago, i had moved on E. countyline rd. I saw a bus pull up across the street with flashers on. I asked her if she was for Clifton Ave, she said yes. I told her that my son is Not crossing that we will wait while she turns the bus around. When she finally pulled up, i got cursed out but it was worth my sons safety.
I have seen bus drivers stop diagonally to help the kids cross but have also seen cars go around or over sidewalks to pass a bus. Sad…..
thank you for sharing . now we know the REST of the story…….
Thank you for your explanation. Yes, it is so scary when you have a near-miss situation…I have had a few myself over the yrs. I am glad you are treating this as a learning experience & driving more carefully. I apologize if I was not entirely dan l’kav schus.
Children must be taught to look both ways & make sure all traffic has stopped when crossing a street at all times. Even when in a traffic light controlled crosswalk. Better safe than sorry. I agree Central Ave is too busy to have children cross to the bus.
Children must also be taught NEVER to run across a street or to run across the street to a waiting bus. Always check if the coast is clear, and
WALK don’t RUN! This way you are buying time that you may just need to avoid an accident.
im sorry but it is quite clear that the busses’ stop sign went out before this girl crossed the road???