Be Extra Cautious When Driving Near School Buses on Oct. 23

Radnor Township School District will join forces with the Radnor Township Police Department on Wed., Oct. 23 for the 17th annual Operation Safe Stop, a statewide campaign to raise public awareness of the dangers of illegally passing a stopped school bus when children are boarding or exiting. The program is part of National School Bus Safety Week, October 21-25.

Led by the district’s Director of Transportation Burt Blackburn, school bus drivers will be on the lookout for vehicles illegally passing their buses. When possible, the drivers will relay a violator’s information to the police so a citation can be issued. Blackburn will also send the gathered information to Harrisburg so it can be included in a school bus safety report. The coordinated effort typically leads to two or three violations, a significant amount when extrapolated throughout the 181-day school year.

Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law requires motorists to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended. Motorists must stop when they are behind the bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped. Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety. If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.