This week (October 21-25) is National School Bus Safety Week, and the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is asking drivers to be extra careful around schools and watch for children boarding or exiting a bus.
While riding the bus is the safest way for children to get to and from school – about 70 times safer than traveling by car – many drivers illegally pass school buses that are stopped with their red lights on. According to a 2016 one-day survey of 137 school districts and nine school bus contractors, more than 26,000 drivers did not stop for a bus loading or unloading children.
“Children should feel safe getting onto or off the bus,” said OTS Director Barbara Rooney. “Drivers should always be watching for people walking or on a bike, but especially around schools and when children are at a bus stop.”
The OTS provides funding for the California Highway Patrol’s “Vehicles Illegally Passing a School Bus” (VIPS) enforcement project. During these enforcement activities, CHP officers will ride on school buses and patrol bus routes looking for cars that do not stop for buses with their flashing red lights on.
Under Californian law drivers are required to stop in both directions when a school bus has flashing red lights on. Drivers must stay stopped until the red lights are off. Drivers who illegally pass a bus face up to a $1,000 fine and could have their license suspended for one year.
