I just watched a rather disturbing report on the “Today Show” about a driver in Minnesota who completely ignored the red flashing lights and extended stop arm protruding from the side of a school bus and nearly ran over a child crossing the road to board.
Idiot. And, near murderer. Oh, and the jackass had the gall to blow their horn at the kid.
Sadly, if you Google this type of thing, there are numerous stories of the same thing, some of them ending in death.
Straight from the driver’s manual:
“If a school vehicle has stopped on the roadway and is operating the alternately flashing red lights, the driver of ANY vehicle following OR approaching the school vehicle shall:
- Stop at least 20 feet from the rear of the school vehicle, if approaching the school vehicle from its rear; or
- At least 20 feet from the front of the school vehicle, if approaching the school vehicle from its front.
The driver of any vehicle following or approaching the school vehicle may not proceed until the school vehicle resumes motion or the alternately flashing red lights are deactivated. This does not apply to the driver of a vehicle on a physically divided highway.”
And, at the risk of being Captain Obvious, if you also see the extended stop arm, STOP!
Read about the Minnesota driver and their punishment here.
And just in case you don’t think anything bad will happen, here’s another horrible story where three siblings were killed trying to board their bus in Indiana.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration encourages drivers to be familiar with “the ‘flashing signal light system’ that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of pending actions:
Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.”
Here is a useful graphic to follow when it comes to school busses and your obligation to stop:
When it comes to school busses, whether you are following or approaching, you will, more often than not, have to stop.
Deal with it.
Resources:
You can find the specific law in your state using AAA’s Digest of Motor Laws: https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/school-buses/
NHTSA School Bus Safety: https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety
Awesome
That’s awful. Even though this video shows the car passing the bus, there must be a camera facing toward the back to catch the license plate? Should have gotten a few nights in jail. Community service wasn’t enough.