What do you usually do, when you happen to be behind a school bus? I guess there is only one right answer for this question: you follow the law, you fight your boredom, forget the fact that you’re in a rush, stop in the appropriate spot and wait for the bus and patiently continue your driving only after it is safe and legal to do so.
But 32 year-old Shena Hardin from Ohio made up her own traffic rules, using a sidewalk as a detour path to avoid waiting for a Cleveland school bus. She chose this route several times (!), which made the school bus driver worry about the kids’ safety and put his phone camera on stand by mode to capture the violator and warn local police. Needless to say, after pulling her stunt one more time Shena Hardin was cited by the police right away.
After a few court hearings, the judge sentenced Hardin to pay $250 in court costs, suspended her license for 30 days, but besides that, the woman was ordered to stay at the intersection wearing the sign: “Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” The judge specified that Hardin will serve the punishment at an intersection from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. for two days.
The punishment may seem pretty harsh, but when kids are at a high risk, maybe it is the only way to teach reckless drivers good manners and remind everybody about the traffic laws, that are there for all of our protection, and that can not be broken. It is nearly impossible for drivers not to see flashing lights and stop signs on the school buses, and they are not just idle accessories! They are attached to the vehicle to make sure, that children are seen and safe, when a bus is stopped.
Don’t be an idiot.