This week, the paper has been loaded with uplifting images and stories of children returning to their school routines as life drifts closer and closer to resembling the pre-pandemic era.

With that in mind, it’s important that we brush up on our knowledge of bus safety road regulations. Between dedicated bus drivers attempting to navigate new routes and a general populace that becomes used to uninterrupted commutes all summer, some extra vigilance is needed.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s list of regulations state that motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended.

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or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn and all children have reached safety.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.

Oncoming traffic should never proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.

According to PennDOT’s accompanying fact sheet, more than 700 drivers are convicted annually for passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing. If you are convicted of violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law, you will receive all of the following penalties:

– 60-day driver’s license suspension

– 5 points on your driving record

– $250 fine

When a school bus is equipped with a side stop arm enforcement system and you pass a school bus with its red lights flashing, you may receive a $300 total fine in the mail.

Very young children don’t think about the potential dangers they face at the bus stop. It’s the duty of the public to adhere to the laws set in place. You’d face worse consequences if, heaven forbid, any injuries occur due to easily avoided negligence.

As long as we maintain caution, we can avoid being added to the statistics.

– CM