RALEIGH, (SGRToday.com) - A new rule for public school bus drivers requires them to use hand signals to help kids cross the road. The rule was approved by the State Board of Education in July and takes effect January 1, according to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).

DPI reports that five kids were hurt during the 2014-15 year when drivers passed stopped buses. Thirteen children have been killed since 1999.
 
“We have over 15 years of data to show that more than 3,000 cars per day are not going to stop. It’s clear that public awareness campaigns alone won’t reverse this trend,” NCDPI Transportation Services Section Chief Derek Graham said in a news release. “The revised policy represents a more proactive approach to what bus drivers and students can do to stay safe even when motorists don’t obey the law.”
 
The new rules for drivers:

1.  Driver holds up his or her palm facing the student until it is safe to cross.
2.  Driver gives a “thumbs up” to the students.
3.  Driver points with his or her index finger the direction in which the child should proceed across the road.