SALEM, Va. – It’s back-to-school season, and that means lots of school buses will be out on the roads soon, causing concern with everyone.
“I would say if you see a bus, know that there are children and those children need to be protected, so it’s worth it to them to stop and give them that minute or two to let them cross safely,” said Martha Chester, who has two grandkids in school.
It is illegal to pass a stopped school bus with a flashing red stop sign. Drivers who pass stopped school buses in Virginia could face up to a year in jail, $2,500 in fines, and a suspended license.
Some school divisions have outside cameras on their buses to catch people, like in Montgomery and Botetourt Counties.
There are also safety cameras to catch speeders outside many school divisions, like the Town of Altavista, Montgomery County, Wythe County, and Martinsville.
However, students and parents said this doesn’t discourage people from speeding.
“A lot of cars do like to not stop when school buses have the stop sign on, and that can be a problem. A lot of cars just drive fast when kids are just trying to get off,” said rising high school senior Rowan Soto.
“A school bus is about to stop, and cars think that that’s an opportunity to get around before the stop signs go out,” says Jessica Soto, Rowan Soto’s mom. “That’s not good because some kids lag behind, but some kids are eager to get on the bus and kind of start moving before that stop sign is out.”
Virginia law requires all drivers to stop when they see a school bus with flashing red lights and an extended stop sign, regardless of what direction they’re driving. The only exception applies to drivers traveling in the opposite direction on a road divided by a physical barrier or median.
“Be prepared to slow down in case a student happens to go the wrong direction or anything like that. Just be very cautious,” said Chuck Lionberger, director of community relations for Roanoke County Public Schools.
Lionberger also advised arriving at bus stops five minutes before your scheduled pick-up time and being at least 10 feet away from the road.
The Virginia Department of Transportation urges drivers to:
- Watch for students near schools and at bus stops, especially during morning and afternoon hours
- Don’t drive distracted
- Be prepared for frequent bus stops
- Slow down when you see yellow lights on buses