Recently, I started driving a school bus part-time, because my social security and pension just weren't keeping up with the inflation. I've had to call the police on a student, but that didn't leave me shaking and as rattled as my encounter today.
I was taking a bus load of about 40 middle school students home today when I crossed paths with what I believe was a person with a death wish! I was cruising at between 40 and 45 mph in a 50 mph zone. My bus has a GCWR of just under 15 short tons. I (fortunately) pay attention more to the road than the kids behind me, which provided dividends today!
Before I had a chance to have any kids get off, this fool in a 4 door sedan pulls out of a side street from a dead stop no more than 15 to 20 feet in front of the bus. (Yes, it may have been slightly farther away, but I doubt it.) My student passengers realized something was wrong when they heard me lay on the horn while the brakes were screaming and the bus started swerving as I tried to avoid an accident. Fortunately, I was able to keep the bus under control as I swerved behind the car and went slightly off the road.
It wasn't until a short while after the encounter that I started to shake with the realization that I probably would have killed the driver had I hit the car, and not only rolled the car, but also have driven over the car. I'm actually lucky that I didn't roll my bus and that no children were injured.
This was not a scenario that I had prepared myself for, and it is devastating.
I'm not looking for pats on the back. I just needed to verbalize what happened and what I'm feeling. It was an eye opener!
I was taking a bus load of about 40 middle school students home today when I crossed paths with what I believe was a person with a death wish! I was cruising at between 40 and 45 mph in a 50 mph zone. My bus has a GCWR of just under 15 short tons. I (fortunately) pay attention more to the road than the kids behind me, which provided dividends today!
Before I had a chance to have any kids get off, this fool in a 4 door sedan pulls out of a side street from a dead stop no more than 15 to 20 feet in front of the bus. (Yes, it may have been slightly farther away, but I doubt it.) My student passengers realized something was wrong when they heard me lay on the horn while the brakes were screaming and the bus started swerving as I tried to avoid an accident. Fortunately, I was able to keep the bus under control as I swerved behind the car and went slightly off the road.
It wasn't until a short while after the encounter that I started to shake with the realization that I probably would have killed the driver had I hit the car, and not only rolled the car, but also have driven over the car. I'm actually lucky that I didn't roll my bus and that no children were injured.
This was not a scenario that I had prepared myself for, and it is devastating.
I'm not looking for pats on the back. I just needed to verbalize what happened and what I'm feeling. It was an eye opener!