School districts worry about vehicles passing stopped buses
Bentworth School District Assistant Superintendent George Lammay said he gets complaints every week from school bus drivers who report vehicles passing their school buses, ignoring the flashing red stop lights.
Lammay wants to increase public awareness about the problem of vehicles passing school buses.
“I get a couple of complaints a week from drivers. My greatest fear is that someone who is following a bus is running late for work and they decide to pass the bus,” said Lammay. “Someone’s going to get hurt. It’s a real safety concern.”
Lammay said bus drivers with routes along routes 40 and 136, which are connectors to Washington, most frequently report vehicles passing them.
In Pennsylvania, motorists in both directions are required to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and the stop arm extended, enabling students to cross the road, if necessary, after exiting or boarding the bus.
Sgt. Juan Curry of state police Troop B in Washington said bus drivers typically attempt to record the license plate numbers and vehicle descriptions of anyone who drives around them when their lights are flashing.
The information is then forwarded to the police department in the jurisdiction where the incident took place.
The penalties for passing a stopped school bus with its warning lights activated include a $250 fine, five points on a driver’s license and a 60-day license suspension.
“Drivers definitely need to stop and err on the side of caution if they are approaching a bus whose lights are yellow because they can change from yellow to red quickly,” said Curry. “They shouldn’t take any chances.”
In Greene County, Carmichaels School District Superintendent John Menhart said the district’s bus contractor, First Student, reported receiving calls weekly about motorists driving around flashing red lights.
“Once in a while, we’re lucky enough to get a license plate number, but our bus drivers have a lot on their plate in order to make sure our kids are safe without having to worry about having to get the make and model of a car,” said Menhart.
Lammay said the school district attempts to establish safe bus routes – for example, not having bus stops at the crest of a hill – but said it’s incumbent on motorists to pay attention to buses, especially during the hours when they are likely to be on the road.
He recalled a recent incident where he was following a school bus that had flashing yellow lights, “and this guy came like nobody’s business. We had little kids on the other side. It becomes perilous at times. Drivers just don’t seem to get it, but if they ever hit a child, they’d never forgive themselves.”