Think it couldn’t happen here? Think again.

Picture this. A school bus rolls along a Suffolk street. The driver turns on the flashing yellow lights as the bus begins to slow. Eventually the red flashing lights come on and a safety arm and stop sign are extended.

The bus comes to a complete stop and waits. What they are waiting for soon appears in the form of a youngster exiting the door of their home and dashing down the stairs toward the street and the waiting bus.

The child clears the stairwell, crosses the sidewalk and dashes into the street, not stopping to look and see if all the traffic had stopped for the waiting bus.

This isn’t something we made up to make a point. One of our staff members sat in his car behind that bus Tuesday morning and watched the child dart into the street and continue on to the bus that would take her to school.

We were lucky that time. But what about this morning, or tomorrow?

What that child needs to know is that even though the bus has stopped and the lights are flashing, sometime, someday a driver is going to violate the law and drive on by. And the result could be tragic.

Parents n and our staff member said he didn’t see any at the time — of the little girl was dashing toward the bus n you must be vigilant. Stay with your child until he or she is safely on the bus. If you are in a situation such as the one above you can wait in your home until the bus arrives. Otherwise, be at the bus stop. Work it out with other parents so somebody is always there when the children leave and when they arrive home.

Don’t assume that the drivers of the automobiles are going to be paying attention all the time. They are not. And neither are the children.

We can only hope that the family of the little girl in this story recognizes who they are and takes a few minutes to talk to their child. Or better than that, we hope everybody who reads this assumes we are talking about them and their child and has that talk with them today, before it is too late.