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School’s In Session, Slow Down

By Staff | Aug 22, 2024

What’s the most dangerous part of the school day? It’s when children board or get off of the school bus, according to transportation experts. If drivers illegally pass a stopped bus that has its flashing lights on and stop arm out they risk hitting and seriously injuring or killing a child.

An average of about six students across the country each year were killed while attempting to board or get off of their school buses, according to the National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey. The number of injuries and near misses is believed to be much higher.

The biggest challenge officials say they face in combating illegal bus passings is that drivers often simply do not know the local laws, which vary from state to state.

West Virginia School Bus Laws state that School buses are responsible for safely transporting children to and from school. When approaching a bus, you must observe the following rules: traffic in both directions must stop before reaching a school bus that has its red lights flashing which is receiving or discharging students on all highways, streets, parking lots, private roads or driveways You may not proceed until the bus resumes motion, or you are signaled by the school bus driver to proceed or the visual signals are no longer actuated. Only on Interstate Highways does traffic coming toward a school bus stopped on the other side of the median not have to stop.

The penalty for passing a stopped school bus is a minimum of 30 days driver’s license suspension and a minimum fine of $150 for the first offense. Subsequent offenses have increased penalties. If the identity of the driver of a vehicle that passes a stopped school bus cannot be ascertained, the owner or lessee of the vehicle in violation is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, subject to fines. “Passing a stopped school bus is against the law and could have fatal consequences. Nothing is worth the risk,” Ann Carlson, NHTSA’s acting administrator, said in a statement. “Children’s lives are on the line.”

The most dangerous part of the school bus ride isn’t the ride, it’s approaching and getting on and off the bus.

On most weekdays, millions of children across the United States line up to ride school buses, considered one of the safest ways to get to school. Less than 1% of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transport vehicles. But more injuries and fatalities occur outside of or near school buses where a child may not be seen – the “danger zone “ – because a driver has failed to obey the stop-arm warning or to follow local traffic laws, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In every State and the District of Columbia, it is illegal for vehicle drivers to pass a school bus while the school bus stop-arm is extended and the red lights are flashing. Failing to do so could result in injury or death to child pedestrians or their caretakers.

No one should be in as big a hurry to break the school bus stop laws. If you are traveling to and from work make sure to allow time for school buses picking kids up and letting them off. The risk of causing injury or death is not worth the small amount of time lost.

Help keep the school kids safe!