School Bus Safety

School Bus Safety Tips for Drivers

Be alert and watch for children especially near schools, bus stops, school buses and in school parking lots.

Put away the phone! School zones are hands-free areas. It’s illegal to have your hands on a cell phone while traveling through a designated school zone.

Children on bicycles can be unpredictable and can make sudden changes in direction. Be especially careful when children are present in school zones and residential areas.

Pay extra attention to lower speed limits in school zones. Be mindful of the designated school zones in your area and reduce your speed to 15 miles per hour or less.

Only drive or park in authorized areas to drop off or pick up children at school. This helps make the roadway travel safer for children to locate and access to their rides.

Watch for and obey signals from school crossing guards. This may include stopping in areas that do not have a stop sign, or yielding the right-of-way to crossing children.

Do You Know When to Stop?

Motorists should always be alert and drive with caution around school buses and in school zones where children may be present like schools, bus stops, school buses and school parking lots. Parents should also go over safety tips with their children to make sure they are safe on and around school buses and school zones.

Two Lane

All drivers moving in either direction on a two-way street must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal, and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children AND the school bus stop arm is withdrawn.

Multi-Lane Paved Across

On a highway divided by a paved median, all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal, and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children AND the school bus stop arm is withdrawn.

Divided Roadway

(Unpaved space 5 ft+/raised median/physical barrier.)

The only time traffic approaching an oncoming school bus does not need to stop, is if there is a raised barrier such as a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic. However, these motorists should slow down and watch for students loading or unloading from the bus.

Penalties for passing stopped school bus include:

• Moving violation subject to citation;
• Requirement to complete a basic Driver Improvement Course upon conviction;
• Four points on your driver license; and
• Minimum fine of $165, if you pass on the side where children enter and exit, you will receive a minimum fine of $265.

On July 1, 2017, the Cameron Mayhew Act took effect in Florida, which increases the minimum penalty for drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus, resulting in the injury or death of another person. Cameron Mayhew was killed by a motorist that failed to stop as he was walking to his stopped school bus in 2016.

Penalties for passing a stopped school bus that causes or results in the serious bodily injury or the death of another person include:

• Serving 120 community service hours in a trauma center or hospital;
• Participating in a victim’s impact panel session, or if such a panel does not exist, attending a FLHSMV approved driver improvement course;
• Six points on your driver license;
• Suspension of license for a minimum of one year; and
• $1,500 fine.

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Additional Resources:

• Florida Department of Transportation
• Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• AAA – The Auto Club Group
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• National Safety Council
• Florida Department of Education – School Transportation
• SafeKids – School Bus Safety