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North Bay family of boy killed getting off school bus say drivers not getting the message

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School buses have only been back on the streets for just more than a week but officials from the ‘Let’s Remember Adam’ campaign said they’re already worried for children’s safety.

“I’m extremely disappointed, and a little bit angry to be honest,” said Pierre Ranger.

“It’s hurtful that we keep reminding people -- especially after what we went through and continue to go through as a Ranger family. Losing Adam we just don’t understand why people don’t get the message and go by those buses.”

On Feb. 11, 2000, a truck with a trailer tried to pass Adam's stopped school bus. The truck swerved and missed Adam, but unfortunately, the trailer did not. The five-year-old was killed and the family has been advocating for school bus safety ever since.

Officials from Stock Transportation, a bus company that has more than 100 buses on the streets in North Bay, told CTV News said so far this year, there’s been more than 20 reported incidents involving cars driving past buses with their flashing lights on and stop signs out.

“If we have one school light infraction that’s one too many,” said Tim Feick, general manager of operations at Stock Transportation.

“To see 23 in five days of school busing is alarming to me -- it’s the highest I’ve ever seen it.”

School buses in Mattawa now have cameras on bus stop signs but Ranger is hoping all school buses in North Bay and the province will soon get cameras, as well.

“That number would be a lot higher with the unreported incidents because bus drivers just can’t get all that info and the multiple incidents per stop where multiple vehicles pass through," he said.

"These cameras will catch all the info and charge every driver that goes through.”

Officials said the North Bay Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police are patrolling areas where the incidents most often occur, including Lakeshore Road, Airport Road and Highway 11.  

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