Many of us have undoubtedly seen them over the years — hooded, sleep-deprived kids, seemingly oblivious to traffic, standing in silent flocks on gravel shoulders as they wait for their early-morning bus. It’s a pretty scary scene on some of Vashon’s roads, where even those who aren’t breaking the speed limit zoom past at a fast clip. Throw in the scofflaws, and it gets scarier yet.

Thanks to Ann Murray, the situation might grow a tad safer. Murray, who manages the Laidlaw bus barn, has taken it upon herself to purchase flasing lights for 300 of the students she and her 11 bus drivers think are mosts at risk. (See story, page A7.) Her effort is a very Vashon undertaking — a one-woman, civic-minded effort to do the right thing.

But of course it takes an Island to keep kids safe. Murray and her dedicated drivers can’t do it alone. So now it’s incumbent on us to do our part — the most obvious of which is to drive carefully.

It’s tempting to drive fast in those dark, pre-dawn hours, especially when we’re desperate to catch a ferry. The sheriff’s cars are few and far between. The traffic is often light. But this time of year, when kids are catching buses at what may as well be midnight, it’s imperative that we slow down and pay attention, even if it means missing a boat.

Murray, who has driven buses for three decades, has seen many close calls over the years. Let’s work together to make sure she never sees anything worse.