School Bus Safety

With school back in session, the roads will be filled with kids going back and forth to school in the big yellow school busses. According to statistics from the Cherokee County Board of Education, some 70% of the more than forty thousand students take the bus to school and those busses run most all day. School starts before the sun comes up and with after school programs, busses are taking children home into late afternoon and early evening hours. It is important to remember to look out for busses and pay attention to the lights and signals.

When approaching a school bus from either the front or the back, drivers are required to come to a complete stop before reaching the school bus when the red lights are flashing and stop arm have been activated. Only when the lights have stopped flashing and the arm has retracted, or the bus begins to move may the driver continue travel. The only exception to this is for oncoming drivers on a highway separated by a median or a controlled access highway where pedestrians are not permitted to cross.

Law enforcement patrol for school bus violators as part of their job to keep our children safe. A citation for school bus violation comes with some very serious consequences. Judges and prosecutors set very high fines and penalties, even for first time offenders. The fines can reach as high $1,200.00 and the Department of Driver’s Services assesses six points for this offense. Repeat offenders are like to face community service and even jail time. In some jurisdictions, busses are equipped with cameras that result in civil penalties much like relight cameras.

However the best reason to keep an eye out for the school bus is to protect our most precious resource, our children. Let us all work hard to make this a safe school year for them.