Lt. Governor, Officials To Drivers: 'Pay Attention When School Starts'

VERNON, CT — State, federal, regional and local officials gathered in front of a stop sign at Vernon's Northeast School Thursday to send out a pointed message as the 2026-27 school year is about to begin.

Let's pay attention to safety was the basic message, followed by assurances that fines and charges will be issued for those who do not follow state school-related safety laws.

"We're here reminding drivers to look out for children as school starts," Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said. "We will soon have children getting off buses and biking and walking to school. Don't be looking at those cell phones."

As the lieutenant governor was speaking, a car coasted through a stop sign.

"Kids can be unpredictable as pedestrians. We have to sop for them, stop for buses and slow down in school zones," she said.

Then the use of e-bikes came up.

"Especially with e-bikes, it's good to leave a 3-foot buffer (at crossing areas)," Bysiewicz said. "Traffic fatalities are down 32 percent, so let's be vigilant."

Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne, whose town was chosen to host the news conference for its safety initiative efforts that will soon be recognized statewide, said officers will be positioned at schools when they open to enforce safety laws.

"Officers will be around and we will take action," Champagne said. "Let's stop at stop signs."

State officials said that, in Connecticut, 8,600 buses take about a half-million K through 12 students to back-and-forth to school each day. Officials said bus stop signs are just as important as curbside stop signs. They create a crosswalk on their own, officials said.

"Slow down, pay attention and look out for people around you," Connecticut Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Laoise King said. "Consequences are real. Fatalities are down, but not gone."

Connecticut has a specific law governing motorists who pass a stopped school bus while its red warning lights are flashing. The law is commonly referred to as the state's "stop-arm" law.

Fines for a first offense are $450, and a second or subsequent offense can lead to $500 to $1,000 in fines, up to 30 days in jail, or both. A conviction carries four points against the driver's license.

Watertown Police Chief Joshua Bernegger, the president of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association, threw out a reminder that drivers must stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of the school bus when its flashing red lights are activated and remain stopped until the red lights stop flashing.

Both he and Vernon Chief Marc Petruzzi said school buses are one of the safest ways to travel.

But things can also get dangerous, they said.

"(Stopping at the flashing light) is not just a regulation — it's the law," Bernegger said.

Vernon is one of several school districts that will employ cameras on buses to catch those blowing through the bus stop signs, which led to officials reminding motorists that a police officer need not be present to get fined.

"By not stopping at a stop sign, are the seconds saved worth it?" Watch For Me CT Injury Prevention Manager Amy Watkins said.

"Just add five minutes to your travel time every day," State Rep. Tammy Nuccio said.

U.S. Sen Richard Blumenthal said federal funding has contributed to make crosswalks and sidewalks near schools much safer. Still, he said, "Every day, it's more than safety — it's attention."