The collection of signatures for tightening traffic rules near school buses has begun on the public initiative portal Manabalss.lv. The initiative arose after a tragedy in the Bauska region, where a teenager died, who allegedly exited the bus shortly before.
The authors of the initiative propose to change the traffic rules in Latvia so that a school bus becomes a de facto "protected zone" during the boarding and alighting of children, where the movement of other vehicles is either completely halted or slowed to a minimum speed.
The initiative was submitted on the Manabalss.lv portal by Anete Aizbalte. In her opinion, the current rules place too much responsibility on children and bus drivers, while not providing real safety mechanisms.
Currently, drivers are required to reduce speed when approaching a bus with a group of children; however, the authors of the initiative believe that this regulation is not effective enough in practice.
It is proposed to introduce a mandatory requirement for all vehicles to either come to a complete stop or move at walking speed if a school bus has stopped, activated its special signals, and displayed a "STOP" sign.
Movement can only be resumed after the bus closes its doors, turns off the signals, and indicates with a turn signal that it intends to continue moving.
In addition, the initiative provides for the mandatory equipping of buses with a special retractable "STOP" sign with reflective elements.
The authors also propose to add a separate module on safety rules near school buses and the transportation of child groups to the mandatory training for drivers.
It is important to understand that similar rules are already in place in several countries, including North America, where vehicles are required to stop near school buses with activated signals. The authors of the initiative believe that Latvia could adopt this approach.
Particular attention is proposed to be paid to informing children and drivers about the new rules.
The initiative was prompted by a tragedy that occurred on May 8 in the Bauska region. According to the police, around 7:00 PM, a car struck a girl born in 2012, who died at the scene.
The local publication Bauskasdzive.lv, citing unofficial information, reported that the teenager may have exited the school bus shortly before this incident.
The police have initiated a criminal process and continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
The authors of the initiative emphasize that the proposed measures should help prevent similar tragedies in the future and make the situation near school buses more predictable and safe.
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