Improving, Not ‘Gutting,’ School Bus Law

Responding to a proposed amendment to the school bus bill, which bears his son’s name, Tom Lanni hopes “logical and rational minds will prevail” (June 30).

That’s exactly what is happening. When the Lanni bill was introduced, school transportation professionals--including the past and present heads of the Department of Education’s Transportation Unit--tried to point out several flaws in the bill, but to no avail. The Strom-Martin bill corrects those flaws without reducing student safety one iota, rather than “gutting” the Lanni Act, as your article characterized it.

Those who argue in favor of the bill as it stands simply don’t understand the objections to it.

State Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles) and others who think we should just give the bill more time might be interested to know that California school bus drivers have been using the red flashing lights since 1953--and most motorists just don’t stop.

Any school bus driver--most of whom have logical and rational minds--could have told Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside) and the Lannis that, but they apparently didn’t ask. And given the high-energy, me-first, in-your-face attitude which pervades California culture, it’s unlikely this law, or any other, will stop scofflaws from running through the flashing red lights.

Almost every article about this bill has mentioned that California was the last state to require flashing lights at every stop, yet no article I’ve seen has mentioned that California is the only state which requires school bus drivers to escort pupils if they cross the street, and there has never been a child killed while crossing with the driver.

It’s not the flashing red lights which protect the kids, it’s the dedicated, hard-working, underpaid and underappreciated school bus driver.

I was one of many transportation officials who participated in meetings late last year to formulate reasonable amendments to the Lanni Act. Not one logical, rational person in the room believed this bill would increase pupil safety. If the Strom-Martin amendment becomes law, it might.

CHARLES BEDNAR

Transportation services manager

Corona-Norco Unified School District

Norco