Three students at Rogers High School were struck by a truck in Otsego while they crossed the street at a bus stop. According to the Wright County Sheriff’s office, the students were crossing the street while the bus was waiting for them with the stop arm out. The truck involved in the accident was driven by a 22-year-old from Lexington with a record of speeding violations, as well as other motor-vehicle related convictions. The driver was detained at the scene of the accident and has since been booked on Criminal Vehicular Operation charges.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families.
Pay Attention while Driving
From 2011 to 2015 there were more than 7,000 drivers cited or charged for violating state school bus arm laws. The accident yesterday is an example of what can happen when drivers either ignore or do not notice school bus stop arms. We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to read about some of the common types of dangerous driving that happen on our roads every day and pledge to themselves to drive attentively. Attentive driving saves lives.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is any non-driving activity that takes the focus of the driver off of the road in front of them. This can include looking at the scenery when driving, taking your hands off the wheel to change the radio station, or day dreaming while driving down the freeway. The most alarming type of distracted driving is texting while driving. Not only is texting while driving dangerous, it is illegal.
Speeding
Speeding is one of the most common causes of accidents, and is a factor in 30% of fatal accidents in the United States. Around 1,000 people die every month because of speeding. When a driver is speeding, it reduces their attention to the surrounding as well as extends the distance necessary for them to stop their vehicle. Speeding also reduces the effectiveness of car restraint systems and road safety hardware.
Drunk Driving
28 lives are lost every day because of accidents involving alcohol-impaired drivers. This is more than one death every hour. A CDC fact sheet about drunk driving in Minnesota reports that 2.4% of Minnesotans report driving after drinking. This number is much too high.
Sources:
http://northwrightcounty.today/2017/01/rogers-high-school-crash-victims-identified-drivercharged/
http://northwrightcounty.today/2017/01/three-rogers-high-school-students-struck-waiting-schoolbus/
https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/pdf/impaired_driving/drunk_driving_in_mn.pdf