When Do You Have To Stop for a School Bus?
November 10th, 2020 by Fix Auto USA
If you drop your children off at school or live near a school, you have probably been driving along when you encountered a big yellow school bus that was pulled over and blocking traffic. At that moment, especially if you were late to work, you might have made the snap judgment to pass the school bus.
If you did, you are not alone. In its survey of more than 130,000 school bus drivers in 39 states throughout the U.S., the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation found that 95,319 vehicles passed school buses illegally on a single day during the 2018-2019 academic year. These sample results indicate that there are more than 17 million violations over the course of a 180-day school year. Additionally, over a six-day period in 2018, six students were killed and eight students and two adults were injured by vehicles illegally passing school buses or hitting students and adults while they waited at a bus stop.
Many communities across the country have tried to come up with a solution. In addition to video monitoring, some school districts have installed swinging and flashing stop signs on their buses to prevent drivers from passing them. Other buses have a motorized, gate-like arm that opens when the bus stops.
Passing a school bus with a stop sign out
What exactly does the law say on this issue? When are you required to stop for a school bus?
The law states that drivers on a two-lane road must always stop for a school bus. Whether they are on the right or left side of the bus does not matter. You must wait for all kids to board or depart the bus. You can proceed once the school bus stop sign is retracted and the bus drives away. Multi-lane roads and divided roads are exceptions to the rule.
If you fail to stop for – or choose to pass – a school bus, you could pay a steep price, including a $100 to $300 ticket. If it happens a second or third time, you could even have your license suspended. Penalties differ state by state; check with your state highway patrol or local government for the specific laws near you.
Putting video cameras and stop signs on school buses and enforcing the law with severe penalties is only part of the solution. The other piece is education and awareness. Many drivers don’t knowingly violate the law when they decide to pass a school bus, just like they don’t intentionally put children in harm’s way. They simply do not know that passing a school bus is against the law or that their driving decision makes our roads unsafe. Please help us spread the word to your friends and family members: by following the law and the rules of the road, they can reduce the chance of getting a ticket, keep our roads safe, and help ensure the safety of young children.
This blog post was contributed by Fix Auto Paramount, a leading industry expert and collision repair shop servicing Paramount and the greater Los Angeles region.
