It’s that time of year again when all the big yellow school buses are back on the roads. That means so are a lot of children.

Our job as school bus drivers is to make sure all of these kids get to school and back home as safely as possible.

We are only three weeks into the school year, and I’ve already had four people run my big, red, flashing STOP paddle. Not a good start to the year so far.

I would like to remind everyone once again about what our bus lights mean.

The flashing yellow lights mean there are children in the area and to please slow down. The yellow lights are supposed to warn you that we will be stopping. It does not mean speed up. Don’t treat our yellow lights like you would a traffic light.

Red lights mean stop. When you see a school bus with its red lights flashing and the flashing STOP sign out, it means it is either loading, unloading or crossing a child. So please help me do my job safely by slowing down and stopping.

If you know you are going for a ferry or have an appointment, leave a few minutes earlier. Also, three out of the four people who ran my red lights were on cell phones. Please put them down. It’s the law.

Remember that these kids are your kids. Your neighbors kids. Someone’s grandchild, niece, nephew, cousin, sister or brother.

They are my kids too. I care about each and every one of these kids that I transport and don’t want to see any of them hurt.

Lets make this a great year.

— Denise Alberthal