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It took a coffin to make the point.

(Above: Members of Speak United in Manhattan, KS won a city-wide campaign to stop cars from passing stopped school buses and putting the lives of children in danger. Victories included a public service announcement funded by the city to warn drivers of the dangers to children when they pass stopped school buses.)

For months, members of Speak United in Manhattan, KS have been working on a number of safety issues in their neighborhoods, including: crime, drugs, and most recently, speeding cars passing stopped school buses. Alliances were formed with public housing and the police department to solve many problems, but the issue of cars passing buses was tougher to address than the rest.

Parents and residents' concern have grown as they have witnessed cars whipping around school buses every day and putting the lives of their children in danger.

Stopping for school buses is the law in Kansas. But in Manhattan's small community - population 45,000 - cars pass stopped buses an average of 16 times a day. And they pass buses at the highest rate in three of Speak United's neighborhoods.

In one neighborhood, police provided surveillance as often as possible, but drivers were only deterred from passing the bus when police were present in order to avoid a ticket, and continued passing buses at other times.

"I've watched four cars pass the bus at a time when police are not present," said member Sandra Spickelmier.

It was obvious that to solve the problem in all three neighborhoods drivers needed education on the danger to children when passing school buses. This prompted Speak United members to have a meeting on April 11. They invited the Associate Superintendent of Schools and the City Manager to demand public education on the issue through the development of public service announcements.

At the meeting, Speak United member, Yvonne McAtee stood in front of a child size coffin and provided gut wrenching testimony as to witnessing a child killed by a car passing a bus several years ago.

"That is something I never want to see again! I will never forget how that child's mother had to be restrained by the police because she went completely crazy with her baby lying dead on the pavement," she said.

"What is the most dangerous part of a school bus ride? The bus stop! Thirty-three children die in bus related accidents every year, most are children 5 to 7 years old getting on or off the bus," added member Nettie McAtee. "Young children are at risk for several reasons: they become easily distracted and may start across the street without warning, they don't understand the danger of moving vehicles, they can't judge vehicle speed or distance, but most importantly, they expect vehicles to stop for them at the school bus stop!"

The results of the meeting:

• The school district is running messages on school bus safety on their TV channel and will run radio ads beginning in September before school starts next year.
• The city will run messages on their TV channel and web site. The city manager will also look into installing bus pull offs, increasing street lighting, and installing crosswalk and bus stop signs.

In addition, the public housing director, present at the meeting to provide progress reports on past issues, committed to installing a bus pull off in the public housing's neighborhood by the end of the year. And prompted by a fax from the city manager that day, the patrol commander attended the meeting to announce that the police would now use unmarked cars at the three areas in order to catch drivers going around buses.

"As a grandmother raising three small children, I am thrilled by the response," said Charlie Charleton, "As a member of Speak United, I am excited because this shows that low-income people can join together and their voices are heard for real changes in the community!"