School Buses Are Back — And Passing One Could Cost You $500

Yellow school buses are about to become a familiar sight on Tacoma streets again, and this is a good time for drivers to refresh themselves on one rule that can protect a child — and save themselves a very expensive ticket.

In Washington, illegally passing a stopped school bus carries a mandatory $500 fine that cannot be waived, reduced or suspended.

And apparently, plenty of drivers still need the reminder.

During a single-day survey this year, 3,419 Washington school bus drivers reported 960 instances of motorists illegally passing stopped buses. If that rate were repeated throughout a 180-day school year, it would amount to more than 172,000 illegal passes.

With Tacoma Public Schools transporting more than 10,000 students by bus each day, knowing when you need to stop matters.

If you're on an ordinary two-lane street and a school bus stops with its red lights flashing and stop paddle extended, traffic in both directions must stop.

That means if you're behind the bus, stop.

If you're approaching it from the opposite direction, stop.

Don't proceed until the bus's visual signals are no longer activated.

This is where some drivers get confused.

On a road with three or more marked traffic lanes, motorists traveling in the opposite direction from the school bus generally do not have to stop.

Similarly, if the roadway is divided into separate roadways, traffic on the opposite roadway isn't required to stop.

But drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus must always stop when its red lights and stop paddle are activated.

So don't assume that seeing a school bus automatically means every vehicle everywhere on the road must stop. The configuration of the roadway and your direction of travel matter.

The most dangerous part of a child's school-bus trip isn't necessarily sitting inside the big yellow bus.

It's the moment when children are getting on or off and potentially crossing the street.

Tacoma Public Schools specifically instructs students who need to cross the street to do so only in front of the stopped bus while the stop paddle is extended and the red lights are flashing.

In other words, those flashing lights aren't simply telling motorists that a bus is temporarily parked.

They're warning you that a child may be entering the roadway.

That's why the safest response when you're uncertain is also the simplest one: stop.

Drivers should also remember the distinction between a school bus's yellow and red flashing lights.

Yellow flashing lights are the warning. The bus is preparing to stop, so drivers should slow down and prepare to stop.

Red flashing lights and the extended stop paddle mean the bus has stopped for students. That's when the stopping rules apply.

And even after the red lights stop flashing and the stop paddle retracts, Washington's Department of Licensing advises drivers to continue watching carefully for children along the roadway.

Washington isn't treating illegally passing a school bus like a minor parking ticket.

The fine is $500, and unlike many traffic penalties, it cannot be waived, reduced or suspended.

School bus drivers can also report violations. State law allows a driver who witnesses an illegal pass to document information including the time and location, license plate number and description of the vehicle and submit the report to law enforcement.

So as Tacoma's yellow buses return to the streets, give yourself a few extra seconds when you encounter one.

The inconvenience of waiting behind a school bus is pretty small.

Protecting a kid — and keeping $500 in your pocket — is worth it.

This article was curated from a Washington OSPI article. You can read the original article here.