Thinking of Passing a School Bus? You Could Go To Jail

By JUSTIN HEINZE and JASON KOESTENBLATT

Pennsylvania, home of the impatient driver.

Those who have lived or worked here long enough know full well the perils of hitting the roadways a minute too late in the morning or night for work, heading to the doctor’s office, or wherever it is we’re rushing off to.

And then there’s the school bus stop. If you leave too late, you know you’ll get stuck behind what feels like every yellow, kid-carrying, stop-and-go vehicle in the Garden State.

The temptation is there. You’re in a rush, so you want to pass it, whether you’re following the bus or have approached one from the opposite side of the road. But it’s super dangerous, of course, and what many people may not realize, is how illegal it is. The financial and driver’s license repercussions are huge.

“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or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.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.