School Bus Anxiety

Yes…. I have it!  It’s that time of year again when I meet busses on the road.  On their routes to pick up children throughout Sioux Center (and even other towns).  If I meet one, I get nervous and my heart instantly starts beating fast.  Are they going to turn their flashing lights on or keep going?  Am I going to have to slam on my breaks or do I just drive casually if it’s too late?  There’s sometimes not enough time to stop but I never know if I do the right thing and I hate when it’s a guessing game!

About 10 years ago I was on my way to Sioux City and passed a school bus on a 4-lane highway by Hinton.  The lights were flashing but they weren’t even breaking or really slowing down yet.  What do I do??  They did NOT teach me that in driver’s ed --- so I slowed down and slowly went around since there were no kids or house nearby.  AND it was a 4-lane highway so I knew kids wouldn’t be crossing from the opposite direction.  Well… 2-3 days later I got pulled over before school with a $145 ticket for passing a school bus.  They came and found me!!  That is A LOT of money to a 17-year old anxious to get her permanent license in only a couple of months.  Thankfully I was still able to! 

Hence… my reason for school bus anxiety to this day!  Some calls are just too close for comfort and it’s not always an easy decision when they flip their lights on at awkward times and you don’t have enough time to stop.

I will keep working on conquering my fear! :)