Uniontown, PA – As students head back to school, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reminding drivers to slow down, stay alert, and always stop for school buses. While school buses remain one of the safest forms of transportation for children, most injuries and fatalities involving school buses happen outside of the bus, often because drivers do not follow the law.
Passing a school bus is illegal in Pennsylvania and can have deadly consequences. Too often, tragedies occur because a motorist ignores the bus’s flashing red lights or stop arm, putting children in danger as they enter or exit the bus.
Know the law:
· Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm activated.
· Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
· Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
· 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.
· Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
If you are stopped by police for violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping law, you may face serious consequences, including:
· 60-day driver’s license suspension.
· Five (5) points on your driving record.
· $250 fine.
For more information on school bus safety, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/schoolbus.
Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting 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.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/district12.
Information about infrastructure in District 12, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D12Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov.
Follow PennDOT on X and like the department on Facebook and Instagram.
MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Swecker, eswecker@pa.gov or 724-425-3018
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