(WNY News Now) – Pennsylvania’s annual school bus safety initiative, Operation Safe Stop, has reported 131 violations of the School Bus Stopping Law this year.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (PennDOT) and Education, the Pennsylvania State Police, West Shore Regional Police, and West Shore School District announced the results of Operation Safe Stop, an annual school bus enforcement and education initiative aimed at enhancing school bus safety for students across the Commonwealth.
Held October 23 this year, participating law enforcement agencies and school districts document occurrences of drivers violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law and emphasize the importance of school transportation safety.
During 2024’s Operation Safe Stop, participating school districts and law enforcement agencies witnessed 131 violations of the law, down from the 177 reported last year.
“Witnessing so many violations in just one day, it’s clear that ensuring the safety of our students traveling to and from school must remain a priority in our communities,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “Drivers need to stay alert and drive carefully when sharing the road with school buses and students. Even one incident of passing a school bus is one too many.”
The School Bus Stopping Law requires motorists approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm activated to stop at least 10 feet from the bus. Motorists approaching from all directions are required to stop. However, motorists who encounter a school bus stopping on the opposite side of a divided highway are not required to stop when lanes of the highway are clearly separated by a divider, such as a concrete barrier or grassy median.
“There are steep penalties if a driver is stopped by law enforcement and convicted of disobeying Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law – a $250 fine plus a $35 surcharge, five points added to your driver record, and a 60-day suspension of your driving privilege. The fine increases to $300 if someone is caught by a stop arm camera,” said Corporal Zeina Black, Permits and Bus Safety Unit Supervisor with the Pennsylvania State Police. “These penalties pale in comparison to a tragedy that could occur if either a driver or a student is not paying attention to their surroundings.”
Pennsylvania law, updated by Act 19 of 2023, allows school districts to install and operate automated camera systems for the purpose of enforcing Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law and increasing safety for children riding school buses across the state. Violations identified by a camera system are reviewed by police under agreement with the school district. After that review, the school district may issue a violation to the vehicle owner. The penalty for a violation is a $300 fine. These violations are civil penalties only and no points will be assessed to driver records. Of the $300 fine assessed to violators under the program, $250 is paid to the school district where the violation occurred; $25 is paid to the primary police department that reviewed the submitted evidence as required by law; and $25 is paid to PennDOT to be used for the School Bus Safety Grant Program.
The School Bus Safety Grant Program can be used to promote and increase school bus safety, education, and training, as well as pay for education, training, and other associated costs related to an individual earning their commercial learner’s permit, commercial driver’s license, or school bus endorsement for the purpose of driving a school bus in Pennsylvania. Independent school bus contractors, school entities, and municipalities will be eligible to apply for grants from the program. PennDOT will announce the program once it is active.
“The funding for stop arm cameras made available by PennDOT will certainly help provide a safer environment for our students,” said Department of Education Secretary Khalid N. Mumin. “Student safety in school zones and school bus stops is of the utmost importance, requiring the undivided attention of all motorists. Local school districts work hard to identify the safest locations possible for school bus stops and provide training for staff to foster greater safety for all students. Moreover, vehicle operators can help immensely by watching for the flashing lights of school buses and always stopping when students are boarding and exiting the busses.”
Some safety tips for students to remember while waiting for the bus or while getting on and off the bus include:
- Get to the school bus stop at least five minutes early, so you won´t have to run across the road to catch the bus.
- When waiting for the bus, stay away from traffic.
- Line up at least five giant steps away from the curb or the roadway to wait for the bus.
- Never run after the school bus if it has already left the bus stop.
- Never push when getting on or off the school bus.
- For more information about school bus safety, visit PennDOT’s School Bus Safety Tips page on the Driver Vehicles Services website. The website also offers an interactive video illustrating Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting http://www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.