Sharing the Road With School Buses: A 5-Minute Refresher | Console and Associates, P.C.

With the start of the new school year, drivers will certainly see many more school buses in traffic. These cheerful yellow buses are very effective at transporting children safely. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that school children are 70 times more likely to get to school safely in a school bus than in a car.

However, there are risks, and the greatest risks often come from the drivers who are supposed to share the road with the bus.

Statistics on illegal school buses

In the past, drivers quickly agreed that drivers should be careful around school buses. Up to 99 percent of the survey participants in 1997 classified illegally driving over a school bus with flashing lights and an outstretched arm as the most dangerous driving behavior, reported the NHTSA.

In context, the drivers reported that driving with red lights, racing with other motorists, and crossing railroad tracks with flashing red lights were less dangerous than illegally overtaking a school bus.

Given this overwhelming recognition of the danger, one might think that drivers rarely get past school buses illegally. This assumption couldn’t be further from the truth.

An estimated 15 million illegal school bus crossings occur every school year, according to a letter to Congress jointly sent by the National School Transportation Association, the National Association for Pupil Transportation, and the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.

Statistically, in the United States, drivers illegally pass school buses more than 83,000 times each day school is held. Each time these drivers put others – especially children – at risk.

How to safely share the road with school buses

Part of the problem is that honestly, a lot of drivers aren’t sure what to do in various situations that arise when sharing the road with a school bus.

The first thing motorists need to know about sharing the road with school buses is that every state in the United States prohibits motorists from passing through a school bus when it is stopped to load or unload children.

Hopefully you already knew that when a school bus stops in front of you to pick up kids, you can’t just drive by. However, you may not know what to do if you’re in the other lane or if a bus switches to its yellow – but not red – traffic lights.

When should two-way traffic for school buses be discontinued?

While Pennsylvania drivers must stop at least 10 feet from a school bus loading or unloading children, in New Jersey they must be 25 feet away. .

If you approach the bus as oncoming traffic, plan to stop when the traffic light is flashing and the support arm is extended. Motorists are legally obliged to stop on undivided roads.

On divided roads, where a median or other form of physical barrier separates the lanes in opposite directions, your country’s traffic rules determine whether you need to stop. In some states, the size of the barrier also plays a role. Make sure you are familiar with the laws of your state and, if you are traveling, the laws of any other state. When in doubt, play it safe.

State law also determines how close you can legally get to a stopped school bus. While Pennsylvania drivers must stop at least 10 feet from a school bus loading or unloading children, in New Jersey they must be 25 feet away.

Again, make an effort to know what is required of you when sharing the road with school buses in your state and in every state you visit. If you don’t know what the law says, play it safe and give the bus and the children it transports more space.

So that you have enough space to stop, you should always plan a larger following distance when driving behind a school bus, said the National Security Council.

What to do when a school bus goes to yellow lights?

When a school bus prepares for a stop, it usually turns on its yellow lights first, then its red lights. While red lights definitely mean “STOP”, yellow lights are not an indication for drivers to overtake the bus before the red lights come on.

When a bus turns on its amber lights, it generally slows down – and the drivers around it should slow down too. If a driver is able to stop when they see a bus switched to its yellow light, they should do so.

Any driver who tries to speed past a bus while its yellow light is on and passes the vehicle after the light turns red is breaking the law. Even if an accident does not occur, the driver risks fines and possibly jail sentences. If illegally overtaking a school bus results in injury or, worse, death, the motorist could face a long prison sentence.

Expect the unexpected at bus stops

Finally, if you find yourself near a school bus you need to be on high alert. Children and adolescents are often not as careful on the road as they should be.

Younger children may not have learned road safety rules and they may not think twice about getting in traffic to chase people or toys. Even older children and teenagers are often distracted by cell phones and ignore the traffic around them.

To avoid tragedy, drivers stopped near a school bus that is dropping children off should keep a close eye on the children even when the bus starts up again. Take into account the possibility that a child leaving the bus stop could get caught in traffic or run across the street without looking either way. Accelerate slowly, make eye contact with the pedestrians around you, and be ready to stop if necessary.

A little patience from nearby drivers goes a long way in preventing tragic bus accidents by protecting children as they get on and off a school bus.