School bus safety, teen driver safety both get heavy focus this week

Meanwhile, AAA is promoting National Teen Driver Safety Week, which started Sunday and ends Oct. 26.

Since 2019, there have been 6,145 traffic crashes involving school buses in Ohio, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Eight of those were fatalities, including one student killed on a school bus, the state patrol said.

A Clark County student died in August 2023 after a minivan struck a Northwestern Schools bus. The wreck injured dozens of other students. The minivan driver, Hermanio Joseph, was convicted May 1 of first-degree felony involuntary manslaughter and fourth-degree felony vehicular homicide for the death of Aiden Clark, 11. Joseph has filed an appeal.

Since 2019, OSHP troopers have written nearly 16,000 citations for passing a stopped school bus and other school zone violations.

Drivers approaching a school bus from either direction must stop at least 10 feet from buses displaying red flashing lights and an extended stop arm, according to the OSHP.

Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers, AAA said.

Citing OSHP data, AAA said nearly 35,000 crashes on Ohio roads in 2023 involved a teen driver and 113 were fatal.