Centralia Schools to Move Some Bus Stops

Centralia School District will move some bus stops to help avoid traffic congestion when a law goes into effect requiring traffic to stop when students exit and board school buses.

The law, effective Thursday, requires school bus drivers to flash front and back red lights when children are boarding and disembarking. Previously in California, school bus drivers were required to flash the lights only when children were crossing the street.

The new law was implemented to prevent accidents when children run into the street while getting on or off the bus.

Officials said they anticipate that the new law could cause traffic problems. Therefore, the district will move some bus stops to minimize congestion. The bus stops that will be moved have not been determined yet.

The law was designed to prevent accidents such as the 1994 accident in which 7-year-old Thomas Edward Lanni of Laguna Niguel was hit and killed by a vehicle after exiting a school bus.