As higher fines for illegally passing school buses go into effect on Sept. 1, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is reminding motorists to watch out for students walking to and from school or waiting for school buses.
Starting next week, the maximum fine for a first offense will increase from $1,000 to $1,250. The law already allows DPS to suspend the driver’s license for up to six months for a second or subsequent offense. DPS officials added that a ticket for illegally passing a school bus cannot be dismissed after taking a defensive driving course.
They said one of the most dangerous times of a student’s trip on a school bus is when they are entering or exiting the bus. Drivers are cautioned to slow down and pay attention in school zones since children may not be looking for oncoming traffic when they step into a roadway.
State law requires that approaching drivers stop when a bus is stopped and operating a visual signal — either red flashing lights or a stop sign. DPS explained that drivers should not proceed until the school bus resumes motion, the driver is signaled by the bus driver to proceed or the visual signal is no longer activated. A driver does not have to stop for a school bus if traveling on a highway with roadways separated by an intervening space or physical barrier. If a highway is divided only by a left-turning lane and the roadways are not separated, drivers must stop for school buses.
“As the new school year opens, I urge drivers to do their part in keeping youngsters safe by obeying school zone speed limits and stopping for school buses,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw in a statement last week. “DPS will not tolerate individuals who disregard the law and illegally pass stopped school buses.”
The recently released NASDTPS Annual Stop Arm Survey reported that 9,825 motorists were observed illegally passing by the 9,422 school bus drivers on route who participated in the voluntary one-day count on April 10. This figure increased by nearly 11 percent from the the most recent one-day count conducted on Oct. 18, 2011, when 10,885 school bus drivers reported that they observed 8,853 violations.
