With classes in Minnesota's public and private schools back in session, school buses are back on the road.
Schools, bus companies installing cameras to catch more lawbreaking drivers
A survey by AAA found 9% of Minnesota drivers often or sometimes drive around buses that have red lights flashing.
September 11, 2022 at 9:11PM
For drivers, that may mean brushing up on the rules when encountering school buses stopped on roads to load or unload students.
The Minnesota Driver's Manual states it is illegal to pass a school bus when its red lights are flashing and stop arm is extended. Yet more than 4,650 motorists have been cited for breaking that law in the past five years, with scores more who were not caught, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS).
A recent survey by AAA found 9% of Minnesota drivers often or sometimes drive around buses with red lights flashing. In a one-day survey conducted earlier this year, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services found school bus drivers across the state observed 1,003 stop arm violations.
To combat the dangerous behavior, DPS this year has awarded more than $6.2 million to schools and transportation companies to install cameras to help catch lawbreaking drivers.
"School kids shouldn't have to worry when getting on and off the bus, and no parent should have to fear losing their child to a careless driver," said Mike Hanson, director of the DPS' Office of Traffic Safety. "Bus drivers see the violations and near misses. They have a lot to pay attention to as drivers, so the camera systems will be an additional, effective tool to help them and law enforcement find the violators. The cameras will help keep kids safe, hold selfish or inattentive drivers accountable and change dangerous driving choices."
When a stop arm violation occurs and is proven, the vehicle owner or the lessee can be tagged with a misdemeanor carrying up to a $500 fine. But, "if the owner or lessee of the vehicle can prove that another person was driving the vehicle at the time of the stop arm violation, the driver — not the owner or lessee — will be charged with the violation," the driver's manual states.
Drivers can also face criminal charges for passing a school bus on the right, when a child is outside the bus, or injuring or killing a child, according to DPS.
So here are the rules: Motorists on two-lane or multi-lane roads that are not separated by a median must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when approaching from behind or coming from the opposite direction. Motorists must remain stopped until the stop arm is retracted and the red lights are no longer flashing, the driver's manual states.
On a divided road, such as those in which lanes are separated by a concrete or grassy median, only drivers heading in the same direction of the school bus must stop.
Regardless, motorists should slow down, pay attention and anticipate children and buses, especially in neighborhoods and school zones, DPS said.
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