News Releases

Know the Laws Regarding A Stopped School Bus; Cell Phone Video Shows Multiple Motorists Violating School Bus Law

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The Police Department and Public Schools continue to stress the importance of complying with Maryland laws pertaining to stopped school buses with activated flashing lights and stop arms and continue to educate the public on these laws.

When a driver passes a stopped school bus with red flashing lights, it is often because he/she is either uninformed with regard to the requirements of the law, is impatient, or is distracted.

Yesterday morning, a concerned individual captured cell phone video of multiple motorists passing a stopped school bus that was picking up elementary school children in the 5100 block of River Road in Bethesda.  Can you spot the violations in the video?  Remember: On a two-lane roadway with a center turn lane, when a school bus stops for passengers, all traffic from BOTH directions must stop.



The school bus in the video was equipped with a camera that recorded those vehicles that passed the stopped bus - those vehicles will be receiving citations in the mail.  Officers will be proactively observing bus stops, to include the one in the video, and will be stopping vehicles that violate bus law.

The Law:

When approaching a stopped school bus with activated flashing red lights, Maryland law requires that motorists traveling in the same direction as the bus must stop.  The law also requires that motorists approaching the bus from the opposite direction must stop if there is no physical barrier, such as a median.  Remember: "Paint does not protect."



Penalties for Violating the Law:

Bus Cameras: Currently, there are 25 school bus cameras strategically deployed throughout the County that record vehicles that pass stopped school buses with activated flashing red lights.  These violations are reviewed by the police department’s Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit and citations are mailed to the registered owner. The camera-generated fine is $125; no points are associated with a citation issued through this program.

Officer issued traffic citation:  A citation issued by a police officer is $570 and three points on a license.

In Conclusion:

It is crucial to the safety of school children and other motorists that people obey the law pertaining to a stopped school bus.

In a few weeks, Daylight Saving Time (DST) will end and people will "fall back" by setting their clocks back one hour.  This loss of daylight during the morning and afternoon commute will mean that pedestrians and motorists will need to be even more cognizant of their surroundings and will need to make sure that they are visible to one another.

RLI

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Release ID: 15-338
Media Contact: mcpnews 
Categories: traffic-safety