John Binns, who has been driving for the district for three years, said when he was stopped Monday afternoon on Highway 158 with his lights flashing, he noticed the drivers of the vehicles behind him were not slowing down or stopping.
 
That's when he took his hand off the door release and told his two anxious passengers to "hold on" before allowing them to exit the bus.
 
Within seconds, a woman, taking evasive action, according to officials, passed on the right side of the vehicle by driving up on the curb. She hit a mailbox before spinning out and coming nose-to-nose with the front of the bus.

"Thank God he did what he did or my kids would be dead," said a mom who witnessed the scene from her front yard. "In my book, Mr. Binns saved my children."

Binns said the other vehicle was only a few inches from his bus, and if he had opened the doors, "they would have been taken off."

The woman then drove her blue Mercury Grand Marquis west around the bus in the eastbound lane of traffic before crashing onto the curb due to her right front tire popping off the rim, authorities said.
 

Both she and a passenger attempted to flee the scene on foot, according to witness statements, before being apprended by officials.
 
The 47-year-old woman from Brady was arrested by Department of Public Safety troopers on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
 
DPS Trooper Salgado said her blood alcohol level was two times above the legal limit.
 
Her passenger, a 49-year-old Austin male, also was arrested on a charge of public intoxication.
 
Binns' reaction to the incident is exactly what officials are reminding school bus drivers nationwide this week -- to be the defensive driver behind the wheel for the students.
 
Sunday marked the beginning of School Bus Safety Week sponsored by the National Association for Pupil Transportation.
 
This year's theme is "Stop on red, kids ahead," but Binns says that on his route, it happens to him at least once a day that drivers do not stop.

"There are a lot of people who are not paying enough attention. It's very dangerous," he said.

The American Public Transit Association estimates there are approximately 400,000 buses that service American elementary and high school students around the country.

Willie Tarleton, director of transportation services for Midland ISD, said that this week the district is asking drivers to make an assertive effort to be even safer than they already are.

"After all," he said. "We transport the most precious cargo in the world."