By: Joshua Perry –
September marks the beginning of school for most children in Pennsylvania which means morning and afternoon travels will often involve seeing a school bus picking up or dropping off students. While it may be tempting to drive around a school bus while kids are boarding, there are specific traffic laws surrounding the operation of a motor vehicle around a school bus. Inevitably each year, there seem to be more and more online community discussions about school buses being passed by cars. Knowing the rules of the road can help keep motor vehicle operators, as well as school bus occupants, safe.
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has codified a motorist’s responsibilities when operating their motor vehicle around a school bus in 75 Pa. C. S. §3345, aptly titled “Meeting or overtaking school bus.” Specifically, when a school bus is stopped with red signals flashing and the side stop signal arms activated, a motorist must stop at least ten feet from the bus. The driver of the vehicle cannot proceed until the red signals on the bus are stopped and the children exiting the bus reach a place of safety. It is important to ensure that the children are in a safe location and the red flashing lights are off before continuing to proceed past the school bus.
In addition to red signals, school buses are equipped with amber signals. When the amber signals are flashing, a driver approaching the school bus must proceed with caution and be prepared to stop. Typically a school bus will display the amber light signals approximately 150-300 feet prior to the actual stop location.
The only exception to the above requirement that a motorist stop for the red signals on a bus is when the school bus is on a different roadway. In the event that you are traveling on the same roadway as a school bus, you are required to stop and abide by the school bus signals.
If a school bus driver witnesses a vehicle overtake the school bus while the red signals are present, the school bus operator can author a written statement to the police. The police can then issue a citation based on the driver’s report if there is sufficient information to identify the driver and the violation.
For the safety of everyone on the roadway, it is important that all motorists abide by the rules of the road.
In the event you or your child are injured while boarding or exiting a school bus by a motorist attempting to overtake it, give O’Donnell Law Offices a call. Motor vehicle claims are often fact-specific and require considerations involving the children utilizing the school bus as well as the signals being utilized by the bus at the time of the incident. We can help you navigate through the facts in determining what avenues of recovery are available for your claim.