Radnor SD To Crack Down On School Bus Passing

Radnor Township School District is teaming up with the Radnor Township Police Department for the 20th Annual Operation Safe Stop campaign on Wednesday, Oct. 19

Operation Safe Stop is a statewide campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers of illegally passing a stopped school bus when children are boarding or exiting and is part of National School Bus Safety Week, which runs from October 17 to Oct. 21.

District school bus drivers will be on the lookout for vehicles that pass school buses while the stop sign and flashing lights are active. Driers will then report the vehicle information to police in order to issue the drivers citations for violating the state's school bus stopping law. The coordinated effort typically leads to two or three violations, a significant amount when extrapolated throughout the 180-day school year, the district said.

District Director of Transportation John Hearn will also send the gathered information to Harrisburg so it can be included in a school bus safety report.

Drivers must stop at least 10 feet away from buses when meeting or overtaking a stopped school bus with red signal lights flashing and stop arm extended and when approaching an intersection where a school bus is stopped with red signal lights flashing and stop arm extended. Once all children have safely entered or exited the bus and the red lights stop flashing and the stop sign arm has been withdrawn, drivers can then legally continue driving. 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.

Related to raising awareness of safety around schools, Oct. 16 through Oct. 22 is America's Safe Schools Week. Sponsored by the National School Safety Center, the campaign seeks to motivate key education and law enforcement policymakers, as well as students, parents and community residents, to vigorously advocate school safety. School safety includes keeping campuses free of crime and violence, improving discipline, and increasing student attendance.

Learn more about National School Bus Safety Week at the National Association for Pupil Transportation website.

Image via Phil Roeder, Flickr