While listening to the radio recently, many Kentucky motorists heard a timely school bus safety message.

During the back-to-school period, the public service announcement (PSA) from the Kentucky State Police reminded drivers to watch for school buses and to stop when the bus is loading or unloading students. “It is illegal to pass a bus that has its stop sign out and red lights activated,” Trooper Corey King says in the PSA. “Remember: Stay alert so kids don’t get hurt.”

Many motorists become complacent and need to be reminded that not only will kids be standing along the roadways, but motorists will see an influx of heavier traffic now that school has started. King goes on to say that there are many distractions inside a car and one of the best ways to communicate with drivers is via the airwaves and taking the message directly to them.

Motorists in Kentucky also recently got a visual reminder about the need to stop for school buses by putting up 51 billboards across the state showing a school bus stop arm with the message: “It’s not JUST a stop sign, it’s a child’s life.”

Great messages!