Genesee News

Dear DCS Families:

We wanted you to be aware that the district is beginning a public awareness campaign about bus safety as we are seeing a high number of motorists disregarding school bus yellow and red flashing lights.

District officials and local police chiefs met with bus drivers recently to identify areas where these incidents seem to be occurring more frequently. All of the chiefs said patrols will be stepped up to catch offenders.

Here are some key points motorists should keep in mind:

When a school bus comes to a stop and activates its red flashing lights, drivers traveling in both directions are required to come to a complete stop at least 20 feet away from the school bus. Drivers must remain stopped until the school bus resumes moving down the road or turns off its red flashing lights.

If you are behind a bus on a two-lane roadway and the bus activates its red flashing lights, do NOT pull up next to it. Stay 20-feet away.

Many motorists believe they do not need to stop unless the school bus driver activates or extends a stop sign on the side of the bus. However, the law makes no mention of the use of a stop sign and therefore, the use of a stop sign on a school bus has absolutely no bearing on a driver’s obligation to bring their vehicle to a complete stop.

When you're traveling behind a school bus that begins flashing their lights the answer is very clear; you need to stop. As the yellow lights come on the speed limit is reduced to 20mph, regardless of what the street signs say. So attempting to speed up and pass the bus is an absolute violation of the law. The red lights on the school bus are activated when the driver opens the door so it is very important that motorists slow down and attempt to come to a stop before the bus when you see the flashing yellow lights.

For more information, you can read the press release regarding the public awareness campaign attached below.

Original source can be found here.