'Death Zone': What To Know About Passing A School Bus In Mass

As Labor Day wraps up, it's officially the start of the new academic year. That means school buses will dot the roads for most towns and cities across the Commonwealth. They're hard to miss, really. But oddly, despite their size, bright yellow color, flashing red lights and extending "stop" signs, some people still ignore or miss them.

And missing a school bus extending that stop sign or thinking you can scoot around it real quick on your way to wherever you're going, can — at the least — cost you a stiff penalty and at worst cause an injury or even death. Don't do that.

Some 400,000 students are transported by school buses annually across Massachusetts. So you might think that means there's room for all types of related injuries, cause well; kids. But, the majority of school bus-related injuries are to students who are getting on or off a bus - hit by passing traffic who cannot see them in the blind spots that have been ominously labeled the "Death Zone," by some. Children ages 4-7 are at highest risk of injury, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

What, exactly are the laws and penalties associated with all that?

Here's what you need to know — and what you should do — when you see a bus stopped with its flashing lights and extended stop-sign arm, or you are driving by a school.

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Passing a Stopped School Bus (or van) with Flashing Lights

The Law: In Massachusetts, all lanes of traffic in both directions must stop when a school bus is stopped to pick up or drop off kids while traveling along a two-lane road. How do you tell the difference between stopped and stopped to pick up kids?

Yellow school buses have flashing red lights and stop signs that fold out from the driver’s side. School pupil transport vehicles, like vans, station wagons, or family sedans, have flashing red lights and SCHOOL BUS signs on top. Drivers use these warning signals when letting pupils on and off. If a school bus or a school pupil transport vehicle has its lights flashing and a stop sign extended, you must stop. It is the law. It does not matter which side of the road you are traveling on. Remain stopped until the lights stop flashing or the stop sign folds back.

This also applies to one-way streets no matter how many lanes of traffic. On a four-lane road with at least two lanes of traveling moving in the opposite direction or a divided highway only motorists going in the same direction as the bus are required to stop. Drivers also should stop at least 100 feet from the bus when they see the bus' flashing lights and stop sign arm extended in order to let students cross the road safely. (It's the law to stay 100 feet behind a bus).

The only exception to this law is if a school bus has stopped on the other side of a divided highway with a barrier between travel directions. In this case, you do not have to stop.

Oh, and a fun fact?: Even fire trucks, police cars and ambulances with their sirens on have to stop until the passengers have been loaded or unloaded. (MGL 89-7B)

School bus drivers also can report the license plate numbers of vehicles that illegally pass them to police.
The Penalty: Failing to stop or illegally passing a stopped school bus with flashing lights can result in $250 fine in Massachusetts, at minimum. A second offense by a fine of not less than $500. That fine can go up to $2,000 and a suspended license of up to a year for subsequent offenses (MGL 90-14).

Speeding in a School Zone

The Law: Under state law, the speed limit for all school zones is 20 mph, regardless of what the speed is for the road the school is on between school hours. Speeding isn't the only thing prohibited in a school zone, either. Motorists are not allowed to pass while in a school zone, and pedestrians have the right-of-way in a school zone crosswalk.

Fun fact? Unless they’re on a "limited access highway," school bus drivers can’t go faster than 40 miles per hour if they’re transporting kids. Period. (MGL 90-17).

The Penalty: State law says that if you get caught speeding in a School Zone you can get fined two times the amount currently in effect for the violation issued. (MGL 90-17).

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch

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