'Hannah's Law' Petition Seeks School Bus Safety Revisions
By: Jonathan Athens, KARK 4 News
Updated: September 26, 2012
An online petition calling for changes to school buses after a Garland County girl was hit and killed has grown to more than 1,500 people.
The petition, deemed "Hannah's Law," demands some major revisions regarding school bus safety.
The folks who started it are still praying for Hannah Martin's loved ones, and are hoping they can change the law so this tragedy won't happen to another family.
"Anytime you're trusting someone else to drive your kid to school, I think everything safest that can be done needs to be done," says Kayla Smith, a mom in Garland County.
More than 1,500 people have signed an online petition for Hannah's Law, a proposal to require school buses to have more intense lights.
They think brighter or more lights could have saved the Pearcy girl's life last week.
Conventional school buses weigh 26,000 pounds and the headlights are no different than the ones on your car, that have a standard mode and a high-beam mode.
Jeff Britt oversees the Lake Hamilton School District's bus fleet. When asked if more lights could have prevented Friday's tragedy, he replied: "In this particular situation, I don't know that it would have."
It's going to take a long time for this community to get over a little girl's death, and no matter how many safety features are added, small children will always be at risk when they're close to big, spinning wheels.
Hannah Martin's funeral was on Sunday in Hot Springs. She will be buried in Georgia, where her family is moving.
The investigation into her death continues.
No charges have been filed.
The petition, deemed "Hannah's Law," demands some major revisions regarding school bus safety.
The folks who started it are still praying for Hannah Martin's loved ones, and are hoping they can change the law so this tragedy won't happen to another family.
"Anytime you're trusting someone else to drive your kid to school, I think everything safest that can be done needs to be done," says Kayla Smith, a mom in Garland County.
More than 1,500 people have signed an online petition for Hannah's Law, a proposal to require school buses to have more intense lights.
They think brighter or more lights could have saved the Pearcy girl's life last week.
Conventional school buses weigh 26,000 pounds and the headlights are no different than the ones on your car, that have a standard mode and a high-beam mode.
Jeff Britt oversees the Lake Hamilton School District's bus fleet. When asked if more lights could have prevented Friday's tragedy, he replied: "In this particular situation, I don't know that it would have."
It's going to take a long time for this community to get over a little girl's death, and no matter how many safety features are added, small children will always be at risk when they're close to big, spinning wheels.
Hannah Martin's funeral was on Sunday in Hot Springs. She will be buried in Georgia, where her family is moving.
The investigation into her death continues.
No charges have been filed.
Comments
this little munchkin was killed this week- she was run over by her own bus driver. Before you judge, consider this- her mom was out with her, they were in a different spot than usual, and the bus driver didn't see them, (at the usual spot) so kept on driving. Little Hannah ran out, not realizing the driver didn't see that she was in a different spot. So sad, but just hammers home the fact that bus drivers have a schedule, and we need to respect it, and to be where they expect us to be, if we intend to put our kid on their bus.
Denise K.
September 26, 2012 at 9:11 pm
