MACON, Ga. — All drivers should slow down when kids are waiting for a school bus or playing near the road. One Bibb County lieutenant says drivers should anticipate kids are going to be by the road in the morning and after they get off the yellow bus.
"I know in the morning, us as adults, we need to make sure we get up early enough in the morning, leave in a timely manner so we don't have to rush," Lt. Christopher Dunn said.
This comes after Sonny Carter Elementary School fourth-grader Shamaar Palmer was hit and killed by a driver Monday morning. Palmer was crossing the street to wait for his school bus on Tucker Road. Dunn says drivers should expect the unexpected when driving near a school bus.
"There may be a kid walking there, there may be an adult walking there that you may not expect to be in places you have never seen someone walk," Dunn said.
The sheriff's office is still investigating the accident and the driver has not been cited.
According to Georgia law, drivers are required to stop for all school buses. Before the law was changed, drivers could pass if there was a painted turn lane between their vehicle and the bus.
The penalties for passing a stopped school bus? You could be fined up to $1,000, have your license suspended if you're under 21, or spend up to a year in jail. Dunn says he feels for the students and teachers at Sonny Carter Elementary School.
"I think as drivers, we can slow down and expect the unexpected. That yellow school bus is yellow for a reason -- because that means caution and slow down. There are children on the bus and they're going to do things that they were doing on the bus, they're going to continue them once they get off the bus," Dunn said.
On Monday, we spoke with Yolanda Bevins, who lives off of Tucker Road. She told 13WMAZ, drivers are always speeding and there needs to be some changes to keep other students safe. Dunn says he will "ask the kids to move away or move back just because it seems dangerous" to him.
For clarification, the school bus Palmer was waiting for was on Tucker Road at the time but not at the accident scene yet. The sheriff's office is still investigating.