Let’s Keep Bus Riders Safe

Did you know passing a stopped school bus while its lights are flashing is illegal in New Hampshire and all 50 states? It’s true!

In its 2019 National Stop Arm survey, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) tallied nearly 95,319 stop arm violations in just one day, which equates to more than 17 million illegal passes over the course of a 180-day school year.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are 70 times safer than passenger cars and 10 times safer than walking. For it to remain that way, all motorists must do their part to follow the laws designed to keep school bus riders safe.

If you’re driving your car and find yourself behind a school bus, remember that they stop frequently. It’s important to leave distance between your car and the bus in front of you so you can safely apply your brakes once you see the yellow lights flash.

When you come to a stop, you must remain stopped for as long as the bus has its flashing red lights and an extended stop arm out. Remember, it’s illegal to pass a stopped bus. First Student, a leader in school bus transportation, recommends that motorists leave plenty of room around the school bus as children can be hard to see within the 10-foot surrounding area.

As the first day of school inches closer, remind the people in your life that it’s on all of us in Exeter to keep our children’s journey to school as safe as possible.