2 school buses collide with cars on slippery roads in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti
Slippery roads led to two school bus accidents in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti this morning, but no injuries were reported.
The buses collided with other vehicles on roads made slick by the overnight snowfall, said Tom Moore, director of transportation for the Washtenaw Intermediate School District.
Moore said the accidents happened during the morning routes and he is unsure at this time if students were on board during the incidents, but he said they were both able to finish their routes.
“The important thing is no injuries, no tickets,” Moore said.
The school buses involved were 146 in Ann Arbor, which picks up elementary students in the Burns Park area, and Bus 109 in west Ypsilanti.
Contact reporter Danny Shaw at 734-623-2544 or dannyshaw@annarbor.com.
Comments
jns131
Sat, Jan 14, 2012 : 5:25 p.m.
You really need to re examine road conditions and where the buses where when this happened. Most times if there was a ticket or not, sometimes it is a retrain. This has nothing to do with speed because I got stuck in a rut out on some dirt road and fish tailed right into a ditch because a speeder cut me off. If the police say no one got the ticket then everyone was traveling at a safe speed and the roads were to blame. As for the children? Depends on what time 146 picked up the children. I use to know who drove this bus and this driver is one of the safest I know. Unless someone else was driving then I would not. Otherwise, glad to hear everyone was ok. Now, is this going to mean a retrain or not? Good luck 146
jcj
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 9:32 p.m.
say it plain You have some valid points. But I don't remember saying more than once people were driving like its June. Just that some people tend to be repeat "victims" when it comes to accidents! I have been driving for over 45 years. You know how many accidents I have been in? Exactly two. Once I was driving to fast even for my 4x4 hit a patch of ice and went in the ditch. I managed to get myself out and I was lucky no one was coming in the opposite direction. The other time sitting at a light my brakes gave out and I nudged the car in front of me. Both were my fault and I never blamed anyone else.
say it plain
Sat, Jan 14, 2012 : 3:01 a.m.
fair enough, @jcj, I agree that some people are repeatedly involved in accidents, and I applaud your caution and driving record (I have similar of these)... I don't want to take personal responsibility away from drivers and sure enough there are careless and reckless ones aplenty around... I'm just feeling like city roads in particular have been awful for years now and I can feel the difference between roads that get maintained so as to maximize safety--that is, the UM or school-zone roads--and those that don't. And that in my experience this morning--but less so this afternoon and perhaps less so as the morning wore on when the folks who get out at 8:55 to be twenty-minutes away in ten-minutes-or-under started filling the streets--people were seeming to be cautious and nonetheless sliding.
A2centsworth
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:51 p.m.
I am actually surprised there are not more accidents with school buses. Kids screaming and yelling and moving around on the bus. There does not seem to be any regulations or rules. If my kids yelled and screamed when i was driving, I would most certainly hit a tree. How do these drivers concentrate with 50 kids making all sorts of commotion? Hats off to the bus drivers for a most difficult job!
Candy
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:27 p.m.
Amen to those of you who blame the drivers and not the County or City road crews! I was on a slippery side street in Ypsi this morning, where the posted speed limit is 25 mph (which is what I was doing), and the idiot behind me in a bright yellow sports car was riding my bumper! I'm not saying that all sports car drivers are idiots because I know that's not true. But I am sick and tired of the inconsiderate, aggressive drivers in this area!! I grew up close to Lake Michigan where we were constantly slammed with lake effect snow. But the drivers there were way more courteous and cautious. Get a clue, Washtenaw County! It's only the beginning of wintry weather!
SMC
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:21 p.m.
School buses are a deadly threat, and something must be done to stop these multi-ton death machines, to protect the pedestrians of our fair community. Won't someone please think of the children???
jns131
Sat, Jan 14, 2012 : 3:42 p.m.
O come on now. I find this very offensive. I would rather have my child inside one of these machines then have them in your car. At least the child will walk because school buses are like straight trucks and can maneuver even under the worse of conditions. So, by all means you drive your child to school in your itty bitty car and I will make sure I keep out of your way.
say it plain
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:19 p.m.
Yeah, I'm sure the school bus routes aren't in the top priority roads list for the City and County :\ And I'm sure the lack of 'tickets' issued were because someone was actually speeding and driving recklessly. It couldn't be that the roads weren't in good shape for the morning school commute, because some folks know some people who left home to get plowing those hundreds and hundreds of miles in these parts, all night. And they'll be out all night tonight too. They are essentially a crew of saltin' santas and we are all so grouchy grinchy complaining about our kids on the school buses and our roads to work because we all don't know what we're talking about. Or so I've heard when there is any implication that response to this little little storm has been less than wonderful. It's always all about the bad drivers, because everyone here must have moved from Florida last week and never before driven in the icy stuff. I tried to check the free press for stories about say wayne county endless road accidents...couldn't find any. I'm sure they just have better drivers there though!
Richard
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:05 p.m.
Please no more, "the roads I drive on weren't perfect". I saw salt trucks out last night at 11 and am sure they were out all night long. There are hundreds of miles of road around Ann Arbor and a limited number of salt trucks. Better to learn to drive in poor road conditions; drive slower, leave a lot of distance between you and the car in front of you, start braking earlier and don't slam on your brakes. Take some responsibility for your driving.
WalkingJoe
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 9:21 p.m.
Well said Richard. My wife and I were out this morning and it wasn't the condition of the roads I was concerned about it was the drivers who no matter how long they live in Michigan seem to forget how to drive in snow.
Forever27
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:59 p.m.
you and your reasonable expectations have no place on this here board. :)
local
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 6:43 p.m.
And the roads should have been taken care of. The county knew we were getting snow and since we haven't used any sand or salt this year so far, this shouldn't have been an issue. Yes, some sliding does occur regardless of speed though.
dading dont delete me bro
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 5:59 p.m.
"The important thing is no injuries, no tickets," Moore said. i understand importance of no injuries, but no tickets? sounds like someone was going 'too fast for conditions' ?
say it plain
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:24 p.m.
No, @jcj, the issue is starting from a stop and turning with any sort of uneven acceleration, not merely "going too fast" per se. And it gets so tiresome for you to imply that people are driving like it's June. While I don't think that speeding up would have been preventive for @a2girl, grippier roads from salt sand etc would have helped with that losing control despite being cautious that I saw today. Are there cameras out there was all missed showing people driving like it was June? Has a single story or comment by someone who was actually out today indicated people were being reckless?
a2girl
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:24 p.m.
jcj, you can beg to differ all you want, but I can testify that speed was not the issue. I do think some people are driving too fast. But, ice is ice. If your car or truck or bus has no traction it does not matter how slowly you are going. I was going through an intersection that I have a lot of experience with. It is always a problem in the winter, so I knew to proceed carefully. What worries me about some of these spots is that people who don't know how difficult they are have even more problems than I did this morning. It would help if these problem spots were salted. That is all I am saying. If the city isn't going to help us out on days like this, maybe we should go back to putting chains on our tires.
jcj
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 7:12 p.m.
a2girl I beg to differ. If you lost control you were going too fast. "If the road had been salted or sanded, this probably would not have happened." And if it were June it probably would not have happened. The problem is people are still driving like it was June. But I do understand that even going at a reasonable speed things happen.
a2girl
Fri, Jan 13, 2012 : 6:06 p.m.
Sometimes people loose control on ice when they are not moving too fast for conditions. This happened to me this morning simply making a turn. My car just kept on turning. Luckily there were no other cars around to collide with. If the road had been salted or sanded, this probably would not have happened.