St. Lawrence County law enforcement will participate in Operation Safe Stop, an enforcement and education campaign designed to deter drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses.
Drivers …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
St. Lawrence County law enforcement will participate in Operation Safe Stop, an enforcement and education campaign designed to deter drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses.
Drivers who pass school buses that are stopped and flashing their red lights will be ticketed. Surveys conducted by the New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) in partnership with the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee show that motorists are illegally passing school buses thousands of times each school day.
“For more than twenty years, GTSC and NYAPT have partnered on Operation Safe Stop to ensure the safety of all of New York’s school children,” said GTSC Chair and DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder. “Whether it is properly stopping and waiting for students to get on or off, slowing down in school zones or stopping in crosswalks, drivers must obey these laws. We are proud to continue to support this campaign to keep children safe and help educate drivers.”
Since 2003, NYAPT and GTSC have collaborated on this enforcement and education initiative. The campaign is supported through grants from GTSC and funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Drivers must stop whether they are approaching the school bus from the front or overtaking it from the rear. Motorists must always stop for flashing red lights, even on divided and multilane highways and on school grounds.
Tips for motorists and students:
Tips for Students
The fine for passing a stopped school bus ranges from a minimum of $250 for a first violation to a maximum of $1,000 for three violations in three years. Jail time is up to 30 days for a first violation and up to 180 days for a second and third violation in three years. If you are convicted of three of these violations in three years, your driver license will be revoked for a minimum of six months. Conviction of unlawfully passing a school bus while it’s stopped to get or let off passengers will result in five points on a driver license in addition to the penalty imposed by the court.