Batesville Community School Corporation 'Lights Save Lives' Initiative Continues To Grow

What was once a "party" light has now turned into a life-saving bus safety hack.

(Batesville, Ind.) - After three years in the making, Batesville Community School Corporation (BCSC) has been a leader in paving the way for an uncommon bus safety strategy... strobe lights.

That's right, the Batesville transportation department has turned the once "party" light into a life-saving bus safety hack. 

This idea started when Transportation Maintenance, Mark Struewing, was filling in on a bus route one dark morning. 

"Working in transportation, we [Stuewing and Ed Krause, Director of Transportation & Safety] do a lot of bus subbing. It's hard to see in the dark, especially when you don't know the route. One morning, I saw a kid walking down the driveway with light up shoes, and I thought that's awesome. So that gave me the idea to put lights on backpacks." says Struewing. 

From there, the idea blossomed into the Lights Save Lives initiative.

By implementing Lights Save Lives, the original goal was to have at least one student per bus stop wear a light on their book bag. However, this has grown into a highly sought after item that parents have requested their child to have. 

Struewing and Krause have been on the same page when it comes to bus safety since day 1. 

This initiative has come a long way since the initial trial run with just 20 lights. From testing different lights to making sure the students are responsible, the three year journey has led to a successful outcome.  

Most recently, the Batesville Community School Corporation received a grant that has saturated areas across the corporation, involving all buses and routes. 

Struewing says that his push for bus safety stemmed from the accident that happened in Rochester, IN in October 2018. 

"For me it started years ago, but when the Rochester accident happened when three kids got killed, something needed to change," says Struewing.

Struewing says that although the accident in Rochester was horrific, he is not one to judge another person's mistakes.  

"Everybody says that she should have seen it. Yes. She should have seen it, but we don't know the situation. Maybe she had a sick kid in the back and was turned around, who knows what was happening. But if an extra $1.80 light could have caught the corner of her eye, there might be three kids alive. It's just another layer of safety." 

For Struewing and Krause, they believe this goes beyond student safety. By issuing these lights to students, it has helped bus drivers and other motorists know where these students are. 

"This helps to see exactly where the stop is and to know if there are students waiting to be picked up," says Krause.  

What is important about these lights is that they are flashing strobe lights. With a solid light, it can be taken as passive, whereas a flashing strobe light is more likely to catch a motorist's eye. 

With the concern of the lights being a distraction to bus drivers, both Struewing and Krause ensure that there have not been any issues with bus drivers or parents. Both say the students have taken these lights and really have found a new sense of responsibility and ownership.  

With the inexpensive cost of $1.80 per light, it has not be difficult to get these lights distributed throughout the corporation. However, they still have plenty of students requesting lights, and are always accepting donations. 

These lights have been distributed to students that ride the bus, take a bike, and  even those who walk to school or have to walk to a bus stop. 

As a part of the ongoing 50 Acts of Kindness, Eagle Country 99.3 is donating 50 lights to the Batesville Community School Corporation Lights Save Lives to distribute to more students. 

You can learn more about these lights or find out how to donate by emailing Mark Struewing at mstruewing@natesville.k12.in.us or Ed Krause at

ekrause@batesville.k12.in.us. 

(Pictured: Mark Struewing and Ed Krause.)