Teen drivers get ‘up-close and personal’ lesson in truck safety

Any seasoned tractor-trailer driver will tell you how long it takes to perform a panic stop.

The air brakes need a half-second to engage, Ron Hotis explained Thursday morning at T.J. Marquart & Sons Trucking. Then you’re left with 40 tons of inertia as the big rig comes barreling to a halt. And that’s not considering if it’s hauling a liquid load such as milk or manure.

“The law says he’s supposed to stop in 280 feet, but that’s optimum,” he said. “Three hundred twenty feet is a better figure.”

Hotis was talking with teenagers from Letchworth Central School’s summer driver education program. The annual effort makes young drivers aware of the hazards involved when driving near the larger vehicles.

The session took place outside, using a tractor-trailer T.J. Marquart & Sons supplied for the morning. Hotis spoke matter-of-factly with each group of drivers.

Each student was asked to sit in the big rig’s cab, so they could experience the “blind spots” a trucker encounters.

Hotis walked backward from the truck at one point, encouraging a student to pull the air horn when he finally became visible — and wound up about 100 feet behind the trailer. He said that’s how hard it can be for truckers to see motorcyclists.

The talk likewise covered Murphy’s Law, and why it’s best to stay cautious near the big trucks. If an 18-wheeler has a blow-out next to a sedan, the result can be a wrecked windshield or worse.

“Pay attention to what’s around you,” Hotis said. “Be aware of your surroundings.”

One of the morning presentations was attended juniors Holley Perkins, Rachel Meyer, and Claudia Grossman. They recommended the program.

“It’s a different view,” Meyer said.

“It’s a look inside at what the driver’s dealing with,” Grossman added. “Like, we may get mad at them, but they’re trying their best.”

“I already had a good idea that there were blind spots, but I didn’t know how big they were,” Meyer said.

It’s part of why the program’s been offered by Hotis – a NAPA representative – and driver education Jim Korn, in conjunction with the trucking company. The idea has generated interest from officials as far away as Oklahoma, seeking to start similar programs for their teenage drivers.

“It works,” Hotis said. “These are people with families, that I know, and we deal with everyday. As I said earlier, if one kid stays safe because of something that’s been done here, it’s worth it.”

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Whiteville schools to suspend driver’s education due to funding

COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WECT) -
The Whiteville city Schools Board of Education voted Monday to immediately suspend driver's education due to lack of funding, according to Superintendent Charles Garland.
At least one-third of North Carolina's school systems are suspending their driver's education programs this summer until they learn whether they'll receive any state money to help pay for the classes, according to the Associated Press.
The state’s temporary budget does not include any money for school districts to provide driver’s education. The proposed House budget would continue state funding for the classes taken by 120,000 high school students annually. The proposed Senate budget eliminates all funding and moves the classes to community colleges.
Garland recommends Whiteville City Schools allow students who completed the classroom component to finish the required roadwork necessary for obtaining a driving permit.

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Chesapeake school bus driver accused of fondling students

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Chesapeake police have arrested and charged a city school bus driver for sexual crimes involving local elementary students.
Chesapeake police spokeswoman Kelly O’Sullivan said investigators arrested 70-year-old Larry Homan June 30. He was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery and three counts of taking indecent liberties with children.
This comes after school bus surveillance video showed him touching student’s chests and genitals while they sat on his lap, according to court paperwork.
Homan drove students from Carver Intermediate and Thurgood Marshall Elementary schools, where the alleged crimes happened. He molested students on different dates while the bus was parked in front of the schools, waiting for school staff to get students at the beginning of the day, according to an affidavit.
The affidavit states a parent reported underwear missing from her four-year-old daughter’s backpack in late April, and that a complaint prompted Chesapeake Public School officials to review video footage from the bus.
A search warrant dated June 25 lists more than 20 items taken from Homan’s Norfolk home by police, as part of the investigation.
Homan is scheduled for a bond hearing in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court July 9. He declined an interview request and no one answered the door at his Norfolk home Wednesday afternoon.
10 On Your Side had questions about Homan’s history with Chesapeake Public Schools, but spokeswoman Kellie Goral would not address them.
“This is a personnel matter. The individual is not presently driving a bus for the school division. We have no further comment,” she wrote in an email.
Goral would not say whether Homan has been fired, whether Chesapeake Public Schools ran a background check on him, or how long he continued to drive after complaints surfaced.
She also refused to comment on whether Chesapeake Public Schools notified parents of the charges against Homan, or whether school officials have protocol in place that will prevent something like this from happening again.
Stay with 10 On Your Side as we continue to press for answers from Chesapeake Public Schools.

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