The Wisconsin State Patrol and Wisconsin School Bus Association are partnering during Operation Safe Stop Week to educate motorists and increase enforcement around school buses.
The annual campaign running this week focuses on preventing drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses and ensuring buses are being operated safely, according to a news release from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said motorists must remain attentive and follow traffic laws whenever they encounter a school bus.
“Every time a driver fails to stop for a school bus, children are put at serious risk of a tragic outcome that no family should have to experience,” Carnahan said. “To keep children safe, drivers need their full attention on the road every time they get behind the wheel.”
He urged drivers to obey posted speed limits, monitor their surroundings and slow down or stop when approaching a school bus. Those actions are particularly important while students are boarding or exiting buses, he added.
More than 1,300 citations were issued last year to Wisconsin motorists for failing to stop for a school bus, the release states.
Wisconsin law requires drivers traveling in both directions to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when its red warning lights are flashing. Motorists traveling in the opposite direction do not have to stop if the road is divided by a median or another physical barrier.
School buses on routes also use flashing amber lights to notify motorists that the bus is preparing to stop. Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop when the amber lights activate, as they warns motorists that the red flashing lights are next.
Collaboration With Law Enforcement
As part of Operation Safe Stop Week, the Wisconsin School Bus Association works with its members to identify bus stops where illegal passing frequently occurs. State patrol officers are then assigned to monitor those locations, with an emphasis on identifying drivers who illegally pass buses or engage in other dangerous behavior.
Officers also visit other areas of concern within their respective regions and follow school buses along their routes to determine whether motorists are following traffic laws. The enforcement activity is intended to help protect students as they travel to and from school.
The partnership also allows officers to meet with school bus drivers and verify that warning lights and other safety equipment on their vehicles are operating properly.
“This week-long initiative is dedicated to protecting Wisconsin’s children and ensuring their safety,” Cherie Hime, the association executive director. “WSBA members are grateful for the partnership with the Wisconsin State Patrol on this annual education event over the past nine years.”
Hime added that public awareness and compliance are critical to maintaining safe student transportation.
Wisconsin increased the penalties for illegally passing a stopped school bus through Act 154, which was enacted in March 2024. A citation for failing to stop for a bus displaying flashing lights now carries a $676.50 fine and four demerit points.
Operation Safe Stop Week combines enforcement with education intended to remind motorists that children may be entering the roadway near a stopped bus. Additional school bus safety information is available through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Wisconsin School Bus Association websites.
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