TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Leon County school buses have been involved in three accidents since Friday, including two on Monday.
The recent crashes have some viewers asking, "Are these buses safe around students, pedestrians and drivers?" WTXL spoke with a district official and investigated the scene of one of these incidents.
The afternoon traffic at Mission and Gearhart roads is typically steady for those on foot and on wheels. Friday morning, a Leon County school bus hit a man while making a turn at the same intersection.
"I would think that with the number of buses that come by here every day that people would be more careful," said Jahi Cole, a pedestrian.
Nearby residents say this intersection really isn't a safety concern but pedestrians who use these roads to get to that bus stop tell us a different story.
"I try to be very cautious not to get hit by a car," said Brandon Garrett, a nearby resident. "I'm always walking very slowly, take my time and watch the streets."
Brandon Garrett has lived in this neighborhood for ten years. He said sometimes, drivers go too fast through this intersection. One side of the road doesn't have a sidewalk but there are crosswalk signals at each point.
A Leon County schools spokesperson said this incident here is under investigation so the district wouldn't talk about it. But the director of transportation explained that all of its buses are tracked.
"Speed, location, when it starts, when it stops, when the stop signs come out or go back in, et cetera," said Michael Moore.
Two of those buses were involved in crashes Monday including one on Capital Circle Northeast. Police say one vehicle rear-ended another, forcing into the back of the bus. State troopers say the other involved a distracted driver later that afternoon.
While neither of these crashes seem to be the bus driver's fault, the district says it will discipline dangerous drivers.
"We're constantly reminding our drivers about speeding, slowing down, allowing enough time for stopping, et cetera," said Moore. "So, when we get a complaint, we take it seriously."
The district says it has around 170 buses driving around the county every day. They've been using special tracking technology for the past seven years.
