How Much Will It Cost You To Pass a Stopped School Bus In Malvern?

With schools back in session in Montgomery and Chester County, parents of schoolchildren and other motorists alike need to adapt to a presence on the roads they haven’t seen since June: school buses.

Even those who live in the more rural parts of the county are still likely to encounter a bus on one of its routes multiple times throughout the school year, and it is vital to be apprised of the law.

The most essential element of the law: stop your car when you see a school bus that is stopped.

“This is a commonsense law and one that most drivers know and obey,” said Pennsylvania State Senator Andy Dinniman. “But every year, kids are injured or even killed because a driver isn’t paying attention to their surroundings or tries to pass a school bus. Please take some time to review the law and always be careful when you approach a school bus on our roadways.”

Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law requires the following from all drivers:

• Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended.
• Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
• Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
• If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
• Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.

According to Dinniman, violators of the school bus law will be hit with a $250 fine, have their license suspended for 60 days, and have five points added to their driving record.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law and other driving and bus safety tips visit: www.justdrivepa.org/traffic-safety-information-center/school-bus-safety.