STERLING HEIGHTS – October is School Bus Safety Month — and the numbers make it clear why this matters.
According to Michigan traffic crash data, there were nearly 1,200 school bus-related crashes in the state last year — three of them deadly.
The data shows that 434 crashes occurred between 6-9 a.m., when kids are heading to school. Another 544 happened between 2-5 p.m., when kids are getting out.
Just this week, a 9-year-old boy was hit by a car while getting off a school bus on Detroit’s west side. The boy was taken to a hospital and is expected to be OK, and police say the driver remained at the scene.
This is just one instance of a child being injured as drivers attempt to maneuver around school buses, ignoring the flashing stop signs deployed while the bus is stopped.
And many Metro Detroit police departments are working to change that.
For years, the Sterling Heights Police Department has been making music videos to help get the message out about school bus safety. On Thursday, they premiered their newest one.
Titled “The Real Miss Daisy,” the video — created in collaboration with Sterling Heights Television (SHTV), Henry Ford II High School Theater and Advanced Studio Film students — parodies Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” and aims to remind drivers not to pass a school bus with its stop arm extended.
“We wanted to create something people would remember. Something fun, local and attention-grabbing that still carries a critical message,” said Sterling Heights Police Lt. Aaron Susalla, who wrote the parody lyrics and appears in the video as the featured rapper . “A few extra seconds of patience behind the wheel can make all the difference for a child crossing the street or stepping off a school bus. We hope ‘The Real Miss Daisy’ video gives drivers a reason to pause, pay attention and always stop for the bus.”
Susalla joined Local 4 on Thursday along with Sterling Heights Police Chief Andrew Satterfield and students Colton Park and Colten Hazlewood to talk about the project and school bus safety campaign.
Use the media player at the top of this article to watch the full interview.
