My better half and I left the apartment today to visit the post office. I was driving. After roughly 400 feet we came to an intersection wherein my lane is the "through" lane, and the road to my left has a stop sign. In other words, they have to wait until there ain't no damn cars coming before they can go on their merry friggin' way. Stopped at the intersection is a school bus. (Here's where I get my father's attention, so I'll go into more detail.) Not the little dinky short bus, but a big honkin' flat-faced bus. Not surprising, as the school would be a short distance up the hill after making a left turn from its current stopped position. As I approached the bus, the driver (who I will from this point forward refer to as "she") started to pull out. Remember: I had no stop sign, no flashing lights, no nothing. She's the one who was supposed to be waiting at the friggin' stop sign for traffic to be clear in both directions before initiating such a maneuver. She starts pulling out, then finally decides to look in my direction. She saw our vehicle. So what does she do?
She &%$*ing honks her &%$*ing horn at me! At me!!! The one who is actually abiding by the traffic laws and not endangering a busload of children. (Go figure. I've really changed since moving to Arizona.)
No, I did not stop. I did not let her in. Absolutely not. It's not my fault she was late, or whatever the hell her problem was that she decided to break the law for her convenience and forsake the safety of her charges. That's absolutely inexcusable behavior for a bus driver. (Right, Dad?) There was no collision or anything. No sounds of crashes, no injuries or accidents of which we're aware, no mayhem to report. Just a driver whose only thought was of herself, rather than the people on the road. Not to mention the people she's supposed to protect.
I did unleash a string of expletives that continued until we reached our destination, though. So I guess I haven't changed too much...
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The bus driver SHOULD have yielded to any traffic on her right. Anything on the driver's right has the right of way. {people, bikes, whatever...}
Having said that, some drivers seem to think that "size matters," and proceed into intersections and other situations into which they'd not go if they were in a smaller vehicle. Yer uncle said he often used the aforementioned premise - -USUALLY avec success!?!??!?!
{I've checked with doctors and morticians, and the cause of the accident does not lessen the pain caused by the relative size of the vehicle separating yer body parts !!!!}
We {school bus drivers} talk about the fact that if you start your bus run a bit late, or there's a tardy student - or a few of 'em- you'll NEVER make up the tiem on the route!!!! Can't be done ..... Buses aren't fast enough .... hell, ya couldn't make up the lost time in a Corvette or Mercedes either!! If you become late - - for whatever reason - - realize that you will remain so for the duration of that particular bus run. Radio the school... you're gonna be late, ....but you won't have to notify any parents to make a trip to the E.R. or worse.....
Regarding your "experience," if there was a phone number on the rear of the bus - has to be in this state - you could make the call to the transportation supervisor regarding bus # ____ initiating a turn against oncoming traffic. It takes but one call, at least to anyone that I know, before action is taken...
The lady who left a four year old on the bus, unattended, 'cause she didn't do the post trip inspection, is in the midst of a million dollar lawsuit... {and rightly so, in my opinion.} By the way, I have that route now!?!?!?
We check the bus B/4 and after each trip. ALWAYS - - EVERY TIME... She was in a hurry {?} We even check the bus when we come out of the gym, or off the soccer field, {the bus has been unattended} in case "someone wants a ride to their friends house or something like that} Can't lock a school bus in this state....
As you well know, I'm a long way from the perfect driver {or anything else} but we drivers remind each other, and watch as we return from every run, to be sure there's no child left behind. {Not the presidential initiative like the Head Start program - -physically - there's no one in the back of the bus, under the seat, in the wheel well, etc...}
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