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PennDOT Reminds Motorists of Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law as Children Return to School

08/23/2024

Uniontown, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is urging drivers to slow down and be aware of school buses as children return to school. Although school buses are one of the safest modes of transportation, injuries and fatalities do occur outside of or near the buses. Most often, these tragedies occur because a motorist has failed to slow down and obey the bus’s stop sign, or to follow local traffic laws. Nationally, school bus passing is illegal, and it is a deadly risk to bus riders. 

When a school bus’s red lights are flashing and the stop-arm is extended, drivers must slow down and come to a complete stop. This is not a suggestion — it’s the law. Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. This is when motorists should begin to slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles. Motorists may begin moving only when the red flashing lights are turned off, the stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins to move. 

If you are convicted by police of violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law, you will receive the following penalties:  

  • 60-day driver’s license suspension. 
  • Five (5) points on your driving record.  
  • ​$250 fine. 
For more information on school bus safety, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/Safety. 

Motorists can check conditions on major roadways by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras. 511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.

Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/district12.  

Information about infrastructure in District 12, including completed work and significant projects, is available at www.penndot.pa.gov/D12Results. Find PennDOT’s planned and active construction projects at www.projects.penndot.gov. 

Follow PennDOT on X and like the department on Facebook and Instagram. 

MEDIA CONTACT: Emily Swecker, eswecker@pa.gov or 724-425-3018 

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