08/28/2026
PennDOT - District 12 News
PennDOT, Safety Partners Remind Drivers to Stop for School Buses as Students Return to School
Uniontown, PA – With students heading back to classrooms, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), and Highway Safety Network are reminding drivers to slow down, pay attention, and stop for school buses.
School buses are one of the safest ways for children to get to and from school, but the greatest danger can come from drivers traveling around the bus.
“Most people aren’t getting behind the wheel thinking they’re going to put a child in danger, but ignoring a school bus’s flashing red lights or stop arm can have serious consequences,” said PennDOT Safety Press Officer Emily Stambaugh. “When you see a school bus, slow down, give yourself time to react, and be ready to stop.”
Passing a school bus is illegal in Pennsylvania and can have deadly consequences.
Know the law:
Drivers must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm activated.
Drivers must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
Drivers following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, drivers in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
If you are stopped by police for violating Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping law, you may face serious consequences, including:
60-day driver’s license suspension.
Five (5) points on your driving record.
$250 fine.
“Drivers need to remember that those red lights and that stop arm aren’t just a suggestion – they mean stop,” said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Kalee Barnhart. “Troopers will be out in full force enforcing school bus safety laws as students head back to school.”
For more information on school bus safety, visit
Safety
