Officials have tried adding more shiny lights, flashier bulbs, and even brightly lit signs that read “School Bus” across the top of school buses to make those already recognizable long yellow vehicles easier to see.
And yet, other drivers continue to illegally speed by them every year.
But if bright red and yellow lights won’t deter drivers from breaking the law and passing stopped school buses, law enforcement officials say maybe some flashing blue lights will.
With Monday kicking off National School Bus Safety Week, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies across the state and Michigan announced they are increasing patrols. They are looking for motorists who pass a stopped school bus or violate other school zone-related laws.
During a news conference with Rossford Public Schools at the district’s bus transportation building, Sgt. Ryan Purpura, a highway patrol spokesman, said motorists need to be reminded to pay better attention during the early morning and afternoon hours when students are being picked up or dropped off from school.
Too often drivers are distracted or in a hurry and make poor decisions to pass stopped school buses, Sergeant Purpura said.
In Ohio, drivers who pass a stopped school bus could face a $500 fine and have their license suspended for up to one year.
Although he didn’t have data for this year, highway patrol statistics show troopers wrote 16,720 citations for passing a stopped school bus and other school zone violations from 2016 through 2021.
As for fatalities and crashes, 6,434 crashes involving school buses have occurred in Ohio since 2017, six of which were fatal. Another 2,076 people were injured. None of those killed were school bus occupants.
“Just remember that those devices are carrying the most precious cargo, our children,” Sergeant Purpura said. “We do have violations all the time, and it's really important for motorists to be cognizant while they're behind the wheel and eliminate those distractions.”
Tamara Meehan, transportation director for Rossford Schools, said the district recently began installing light-up “school bus” signs on the upper front and rear of the buses to make the vehicles more easily identifiable.
Despite the yellowish-orange bus color and flashing LED lights, she said motorists sometimes realize too late that the vehicle in front of them is a school bus and could stop.
The light-up signs are particularly useful on rural roads, she said, where visibility during the early morning hours is reduced.
“They are very bright and whether you’re in the country or in town, you’ll definitely know that a school bus is coming,” Ms. Meehan said.
She noted that the district is committed to spend about $35,000 total to eventually equip the entire bus fleet with the signs.
“My goal was to get the buses out in the country first and then we'll work towards the town buses, so I have the two buses that have the signs on now and then I have two more on order,” Ms. Meehan said.
According to Ohio law, motorists approaching a stopped school bus from either direction are required to stop at least 10 feet from the vehicle while children are entering or exiting. If a road is divided into four or more lanes, only traffic driving in the same direction as the bus must stop.
Drivers may not resume their travels until the bus resumes traveling.
In September, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services released a survey on illegal passing of school buses in 34 states. It found that nationwide, 79,859 school bus drivers reported that 51,593 vehicles passed their school buses illegally on a single day during the 2021-2022 academic year.
“Too often the safety of our nation’s children is put into question simply because motorists are either not paying attention or are in a hurry,” Pat McManamon, president of the national transportation group, said in an announcement. “Motorists must understand the rules of the road and must follow them every single day.”
First Published October 17, 2022, 10:19 p.m.
