The school year is beginning in many school districts across the country and more will be opening over the next several weeks. That means school buses will be returning to the roads. It also means that the lives of the children who ride those buses will be put at risk by motorists who illegally pass school buses while they are loading and unloading. The most dangerous time for students who ride school buses is while they are boarding or exiting the bus. In an average year, about 15 school age children will be killed while loading and unloading and approximately 500 will be injured.

The National Association of State Directors of Student Transportation Services (NASDPTS) conducted a single day survey earlier this year involving school buses in 28 states. According to the survey, almost 112,000 school bus drivers reported being illegally passed by 37,756 vehicles while the school bus was stopped with the lights flashing and the stop arm extended. Surprisingly, more than three percent of the vehicles passed the bus on the right side where students were loading and unloading. The NASDPTS reports that the 37,356 vehicles in those 28 states, on that single day, represent a total of more than thirteen million violations nationwide.

The problem with enforcing laws against passing school stopped buses is that, in most states, a law enforcement officer must actually witness the act before a citation can be issued. Some states have allowed the bus driver to record the license number of an offending vehicle but that only results in a warning letter sent to the driver. Now some states are looking at new methods for catching and convicting motorists who illegally pass school buses.

This year, four states (GA, VA, CT, and WA) have passed laws allowing school districts to install “Stop Arm Cameras” on the buses that will create a video record when a vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus. The vehicle’s license number will be recorded and a citation will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle. Georgia's law, which went into effect on July 1st, calls for a fine of $300 for the first offense, $750 for the second, and $1,000 for a third offense within a five year period.

Other states including North Carolina, Maryland, are considering similar laws and Massachusetts and Ohio are conducting pilot programs to study the effectiveness of stop arm cameras.

As the children return to school, remember that all vehicles must slow and prepare to stop when the school bus is flashing its amber lights and they must stop once the red lights start flashing and the stop arm is extended. All vehicles must remain stopped until the bus driver has turned off the red lights and withdrawn the stop arm. In most states, vehicles traveling in the opposite direction on a divided highway do not need to stop but they should slow and be prepared to stop in case a child darts across the highway. Children are always unpredictable, watch out for them.

Labels: child safety, school bus safety, stop arm cameras, stopped school bus, vehicle safety

The explosion of aggressive driving on Florida's highways has gotten the attention of the Florida legislature and they took action during the 2009 legislative session in an attempt to change driver attitudes. On October 1st, several laws went into effect that will impact Floridians who choose to drive aggressively. Depending on the offense, the new laws are designed to increase the expense of certain aggressive driving offenses and to educate drivers with the goal of changing their driving behaviors.

Aggressive driving will cost more

Florida statute 318.18(5) (c) increases fines by an additional $65 for drivers who pass a stopped school bus, are convicted of reckless driving, or participate in racing on any Florida road. The additional $65 is a civil penalty and the money will go to fund hospital trauma centers throughout the state.

Three Strikes

Florida statute 322.0261 (1) requires the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to screen crash reports for:

(a) A crash involving death or a bodily injury requiring transport to a medical facility;

(b) A second crash by the same operator within the previous 2-year period involving property damage in an apparent amount of at least $500; or

(c) A third crash by the same operator within 36 months after the first crash.

Those drivers convicted of either (a) or (b) above will have to attend a department approved driver improvement course within 90 days after receiving notification from the department or face suspension of their license.

A driver convicted of (c), a third crash within a 36 month period, must attend a driver improvement course that includes a behind-the-wheel portion and must successfully pass a behind-the-wheel exam in order to keep their driving privileges. This course must be completed within 90 days after receiving notification from the department.

Mandatory Driving School

Florida statute 322.0261 (1) also requires drivers to attend a department approved driver improvement school of they are convicted of any of the following offenses:

FS 316.074(1) or 316.075(1)(c)1 Running a stop sign or a red light.

FS 316.172 Failing to stop for a stopped school bus while its stop lights are flashing.

FS 316.191 Racing on the highways.

FS 316.192 Reckless driving

Drivers will want to be aware of these new statutes and take care; the State is cracking down on aggressive drivers. Drivers might also want to take a good hard look at their driving behaviors and, if they sometimes engage in any of these traffic offenses, may want to consider attending a traffic school voluntarily to learn ways to modify their driving behavior before they face the increased fines, increased insurance rates and mandatory schools. It would be a lot cheaper. A good question for a driver to ask of themselves is; is the time you save worth the risk?

Labels: florida traffic law, mandatory traffic school, stopped school bus