Increased Enforcement Targets Drivers Passing Stopped School Buses

Law enforcement personnel, District Attorney Jerry Wilson and Watauga County Schools are teaming up to put an end to the practice of driving past stopped school buses in Watauga County. The new child safety initiative includes both increased enforcement and tougher prosecution.

The immediate enforcement effort includes the use of unmarked vehicles to follow school buses on selected routes. In addition, the Highway Patrol is at work on a plan to place officers on buses that drive routes where passing stopped school buses is especially frequent. Plans are also in the works to add cameras to school buses to film violations to support prosecution. The cameras will record the license number of the offending vehicle.

“We see people drive past stopped school buses on a daily basis. It’s a dangerous habit that needs to be broken,” said Watauga County Schools Transportation Director Toni Weaver Floyd. “We look forward to these increased efforts to protect our children from possible injury or worse, and we are grateful to law enforcement personnel and the district attorney for making student safety a top priority.”

Passing a stopped school bus is not only dangerous; it can also be expensive. A conviction for passing a stopped school bus adds five points to a driver’s license. If the driver is operating a commercial vehicle, the violation is eight points. The fine is up to $200 and the driver’s auto insurance bill is likely to increase by 80 percent, costing hundreds or thousands of dollars more over the next several years.

“The General Assembly has worked for the last four years to give North Carolina the toughest school bus stop-arm laws in the country,” said Rep. Dale Folwell of Winston-Salem. “Unfortunately, you can’t legislate common sense or common courtesy. When it comes to school bus yellow, people need to slow down and be prepared to stop.”

Under the new laws, drivers hoping to catch a break when the case comes to trial will be disappointed. Violators can no longer receive a Prayer for Judgment (PJC) for passing a stopped school bus under any circumstances. They will be found guilty of a Class I Misdemeanor, and any person who passes a stopped school bus and strikes a person will be found guilty of a Class I Felony.

Another recent change in state law makes it more difficult for violators to argue they didn’t know they were passing a school bus. There are no longer specific size requirements for lettering that identifies a vehicle as a school bus. Only the presence of a sign containing the words “school bus” at the front and rear of the bus is necessary.

Drivers need to remember that stopping for a stopped school bus is not a simple matter of “stop and go.” Vehicles approaching a school bus displaying its mechanical stop signal and flashing red lights must stop and remain stopped until the flashing red lights are off, the stop signal is not displayed, and the bus has resumed movement.

Initially, there will be two cameras on buses for catching violators in the act. The cameras cost about $300 per bus. Companies and individuals who would like to support increased enforcement can call Toni Weaver Floyd at 828-263-6391 to contribute to purchasing additional cameras.