A pair of local school districts are warning the public about the dangers of passing stopped school buses.
The Athens Area School District reported more than 15 drivers illegally passing a stopped school bus through the first 33 days of school. In Watkins Glen, the school district said nine drivers illegally passed a stopped school bus in the first week of October alone.
School officials said the cause for the illegal driving range from distracted driving to lack of knowledge of the law.
If you see a stopped school bus, you should assume children are getting on and off and could be crossing the roadway.
It is illegal to pass a school bus while stopped with red signal lights flashing and a stop arm activated in both Pennsylvania and New York.
The Athens Area School District is warning drivers that their buses are equipped with cameras and can identify and cite drivers who pass stopped buses.
Here is the Pennsylvania law:
Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law
- Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm activated.
- Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
- Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
- If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
- Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
Penalties
There are two distinct programs related to violations of Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law.
- Criminal violations: 75 Pa. C.S. § 3345.0(opens in a new tab) (Meeting or overtaking school bus) identifies fines and penalties when a police officer pulls you over for a violation, including:
- $250 fine and a $35 surcharge to be deposited into the School Bus Safety Grant Program Account.
- Five points on your driving record.
- 60-day license suspension.
- Civil violations: 75 Pa. C.S. § 3345.1(opens in a new tab) (Automated enforcement of failure to stop for school bus with flashing red lights) allows school entities to install and operate a side stop signal arm enforcement system for the purpose of enforcing the School Bus Stopping Law. Civil violations include only a $300 fine and don’t reflect any points or insurance ratings.
For more information, review Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law Fact Sheet(opens in a new tab).
