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    PennDOT, Police Highlight School Bus Safety During Aggressive Driving Campaign

    October 22, 2024

    ​Uniontown, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) partnered with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), Greensburg Police Department, and Highway Safety Network today to urge school bus safety as part of a statewide aggressive driving campaign that runs from October 21 to November 10.  

    The goal of targeted enforcement is to reduce the number of aggressive driving related crashes, injuries, and fatalities on roadways throughout the state. The enforcement wave will focus on speeding, tailgating, school bus safety, and the Move Over Law. 

    Officers with the Greensburg Police Department will be participating in the 28th Annual Operation Safe Stop on Wednesday, October 23. Operation Safe Stop is a proactive approach to educate the motoring public that passing a stopped school bus, when children are loading or unloading, is both dangerous and illegal. Officers will monitor bus stops and follow school buses throughout their routes to cite and educate drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.

    “Ensuring the safety of our children as they travel to and from school is a top priority” said PennDOT District 12 Safety Press Officer Emily Swecker. "Through this aggressive driving campaign, our goal is to remind all drivers to adhere to Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law as the school year progresses.” 

    The following are required as part of Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping 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or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.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.
    For more information on aggressive driving, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety. 

    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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