BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the state will set aside more than a half million dollars to assist local law enforcement agencies with enforcing school bus safety laws, specifically to pay overtime hours to police officers who patrol school bus routes.
The program, announced last week, also earmarks funds educate the public about stopping for school buses that are loading and unloading students. State law requires that motorists come to a complete stop 20 feet behind or in front of a school bus with a deployed stop arm and flashing lights, and to remain stopped until the safety procedures are completed. Violators of this law may be fined and receive points on their driver’s licenses.
“Maryland children are back to school, and many ride school buses every day to get to class,” said Gov. Larry Hogan. “It’s our job—as parents, grandparents, and government leaders—to be sure they are safe on their way to and from school.”
The Maryland Department of Education conducted a one-day survey in April that shows participating school bus drivers reported a total of 4,334 instances of illegal passing.
“You may be late for an appointment, you may be rushing to work, but there’s no excuse to drive past a stopped school bus,” said Glenn Fueston, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention, which administered the funding through the School Bus Safety Enforcement Fund. “Drivers must remember that speeding past a stopped school bus risks the lives of innocent children and bystanders.”
So, 50 different agencies from 21 jurisdictions will receive a total of $541,400 for school bus safety programs.
