A survey on back-to-school traffic safety conducted by Progressive Insurance at its Website revealed that 44 percent of motorists surveyed don’t know they are supposed to wait until the flashing red lights are disengaged before proceeding past a stopped school bus. In hopes of increasing driver awareness, Dan Schultz, transportation director at the Spencer (Iowa) School District, recommends volunteering as a classroom speaker in your district’s driver education classes. “I found that driver education instructors are looking for people to make presentations for their classes. They are required to have so much time for presentations, so highway patrol and service and maintenance departments are invited to come in,” he explains. “Here at Spencer, the transportation director has been added to the schedule. I bring in a foam school bus and give a presentation on when, how and why to stop. I end it by saying that it may be their brother or sister who may be crossing the road in front of that school bus.” Schultz invites input on how to make an impact on young drivers. “I am curious to see if in three to four years this will make a difference,” he says. Schultz can be reached at dschultz@spencer.k12.ia.us. Source: Iowa Pupil Transportation Association’s “Bus Stop News.”