A Turner Valley RCMP officer says it is lucky no one was injured when an SUV collided with a school bus on Highway 22 near Priddis on Jan. 19.
Turner Valley RCMP say a Foothills School Division bus containing more than a dozen students was struck by an SUV as it was turning left onto 240 Street West. The driver of the SUV was attempting to overtake a line of traffic slowing for the bus, they say.
The RCMP were called to the incident shortly after 8 a.m.
“We should consider ourselves lucky that nothing serious happened,” said Const. Steven Sigvaldason. “If that bus had rolled or flipped on its side the situation would have been different.”
Sigvaldason said the students were evacuated from the bus. They were attended to by firefighters, who determined no one required first aid. The students were placed on another bus shortly after.
The bus had minimal damage, but the SUV sustained substantial damage.
A Bragg Creek resident driving the SUV was charged with attempting to overtake when unsafe in accordance with the Use of the Highway and Rules of the Road Regulations, according to a press release by the RCMP.
He was the lone occupant in the vehicle.
Sigvaldason cautions motorists to pay close attention near school buses.
“You know at a certain time of the day it’s going to be pulling over and stopping traffic,” he said. “Be courteous. You know how precious the cargo is. You should adjust your driving to accommodate that.”
Sigvaldason said he gives credit to the reaction of the bus driver, who was able to keep the vehicle upright and prevent injury to the children when it was pushed into the ditch.
Drew Chipman, Foothills School Division assistant superintendent-corporate services, said each bus driver goes through extensive training before hitting the road.
“We are very involved in making sure our bus drivers know what’s required to keep those kids safe,” he said. “We make sure we are comfortable with them behind the wheel before we assign them to a route. We do that with our spare drivers as well. We have to be comfortable that they are able to manage that type of responsibility.”
The division’s focus on training was evident in the case of the Jan. 19 incident, said Chipman.
“That goes to show that they’re doing a good job,” he said. “That’s a testament to the type of service they provide our students here in Foothills. That’s why we do all the training we do because we can only control what we do, we can’t control what someone else does.”
Chipman said there are other learning opportunities for drivers, such as professional development days.
“If there has been an incident we can learn from we will share it at professional development meetings,” he said. “We want to make sure our people know how to act and how to react.”
Parents of the students involved in the Jan. 19 incident were contacted and counselling is available for students who require it through their school, Chipman said.
