Motorists

The news of a school bus crash or a child killed while boarding or unloading a school bus sends a terrifying tremor through a community. School bus crashes are rare. In fact, school buses are one of the safest forms of transportation in the nation - nearly 2,000 times safer than the family car. School buses are designed to withstand all but the most serious crashes without death or serious injury. Most injuries and fatalities related to school bus safety occur outside a bus rather than inside one. Most people would never think of deliberately injuring a young person, but lack of attention by drivers puts our young people getting off and on a school bus in danger.

And a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11:6) A 4-year-old Lincoln County boy didn't go over rivers or through any woods, but he and his brother, 2, did go to grandmother's house, and he wrecked his mother's boyfriend's car along the way. "Once I saw that the kids weren't hurt, it was the funniest thing I'd ever seen," said Sheriff Curt Folger. However, Folger arrested the boyfriend for menacing after he made a move toward the boy. Folger said that about 9 a.m. Saturday he and Deputy Bill Schnitzler responded to a 911 report of two children standing in a field near a wrecked car on Maxie Valley Road.

The Kentucky State Police report that aggressive driving, failure to use seat belts and driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol are the top three dangers faced by motorists on Kentucky highways during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Accordingly, the law enforcement agency plans to intensify its traffic safety and patrol efforts beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 25 through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 28. "The Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the beginning of the summer driving season," says Kentucky State Police Commissioner Jack Adams.

Dear Editor: I am a Boyle County bus driver and need the help of Boyle County and Danville residents in delivering our students safely to and from school. 1. I start at 6:45 a.m and I can't see you if you don't turn on your headlights, especially in the early morning hours and inclement weather. My passengers are in danger ! 2. Some of our roads are narrow and the big yellow monster doesn't operate very well in the grass or, even worse, in the ditch. Slow down and give us some room.

In the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York City is a plaque bearing the Emma Lazarus poem “The New Colossus” with the famous words, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” At the start of the new year, Nicholasville residents saw their own statues of liberty along North Main Street, with the huddled masses inside the costumes yearning to stay warm. The men and women who stand along the road clothed in the long green dress and topped by the pointy foam crown have become a landmark in Nicholasville as they hold, wave, and sometimes even dance with signs promoting Liberty Tax Service as drivers-by honk and wave back.

A Danville woman has been charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants after she allegedly sideswiped another vehicle Tuesday on Hustonville Road south of Danville. Danville police Sgt. J.C. Courtwright said Barbi Maupin, 37, of Patrician Place was traveling north on Hustonville Road when she scraped the side of her green Oldsmobile Bravada against another vehicle traveling south. Maupin lost her sideview mirror in the collision but continued driving toward Danville, Courtwright said.

Just after midnight on Sept. 20, Lacy Corner, 19, was driving her sister's Ford Explorer westbound on Ky. 52. Her "little sister," Amber, 18, was in the passenger seat. The girls were only eight miles out of Lancaster when a deer was crossing in the eastbound lane. Lacy knew the deer was headed into her path and swerved to avoid hitting it, but lost control of the vehicle when overcorrecting to get back into her lane. The SUV flipped, and Amber was ejected. Lacy was not - she flipped with the vehicle four times until it landed upright, back on its tires.

Did you know that you can call for free help if your car breaks down on an interstate? Kentucky's SAFE Patrol - Safety Assistance for Freeway Emergencies - monitors interstates and parkways with a fleet of specialized vehicles designed to respond to stranded motorists, accidents or similar situations. It's just one of many activities undertaken by the Transportation Cabinet to position Kentucky as a leader in highway safety and efficiency. Highway help available to motorists in the commonwealth includes everything from the SAFE Patrol to road hazard information over the phone to online travel tips.

JUNCTION CITY - Police Chief Jimmy Gipson is asking local residents to lock car doors on their vehicles, especially at night. He said several cars have been entered and items have been stolen because the vehicle doors were left unlocked. He said 99 percent of the cars entered by intruders were unlocked. "People can't leave their cars unlocked," he said. "If cars are locked, the intruders pass them by and don't usually try to get into them. " Gipson also asked people to take anything valuable out of their cars.

Just as the holiday season wraps up, Kentucky police officers are getting a new list, and they are checking it twice - for the names of those driving without auto insurance. Starting Jan. 1, Kentucky began cracking down on those driving cars, trucks and motorcycles without liability insurance coverage. The new law that requires all insurance companies report to the Department of Vehicle Registration the names of all drivers whose vehicles are insured with their company. A state database will be immediately accessible to all law enforcement officials who can quickly discover who is and who is not insured.