Palos Park Police Ticket 5 Drivers For Passing School Buses

PALOS PARK, IL -- Palos Park police will zero in on Southwest Highway for the rest of the school year where the greatest number of drivers break the law by passing school buses when students are boarding and unloading. Working with partners in both public and private school bus transportation, police have identified Southwest Highway as a problem location. Since the start of the the school year, officers have observed flagrant violations on vehicles driving around school buses.

So far, Palos Park police have issued five tickets to scofflaw drivers. Officers are also riding on school buses -- air marshal style -- radioing ahead to other units up the road with descriptions and plate numbers of vehicles scooting past stopped school buses when the stop sign arm out and red lights are flashing.

Illinois law states that it is illegal to pass a school bus when it is stopped. Drivers must remain stopped as long as the bus has its stop sign arm out and red lights flashing. This law applies at any location, including when buses are stopped in a parking lot or on any two-lane roadway, in rural areas and within city limits. The only exception is when you are approaching the bus from the opposite direction on a road with at least two lanes in each direction. When overtaking a school bus, you may not pass when red or amber warning lights are flashing. (SUBSCRIBE: Get Real-Time Alerts and a Daily Newsletter for Palos.)

A ticket for passing or overtaking a school bus is $150 for a first-time offense, and $500 for a second offense. A conviction for this offense will also result in a three-month license suspension by the Illinois Secretary of State. Drivers who get one of these tickets may want to hire a lawyer when they show up to court.

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