MARYLAND — When many schools reopen in Maryland on Aug. 26, drivers may be a little rusty about what to do if a school bus is stopped. Knowing and following the rules about warning signals can save the lives of dozens of children who die each year in America while getting on or off a school bus, transportation safety officials say.
In Maryland, motorists are required by law to stop at least 20 feet in front of a school bus with the stop arm extended and red lights flashing. Do not pass the bus from any direction until the stop signals are extinguished and the bus is moving again. Motorists in Maryland are not required to stop if the road is separated by a physical median such as dirt, grass, or a barrier.
In the 2022-23 school year, the latest period for which data is available, there were 104 school bus-related deaths nationwide, but none in Maryland, according to the National Safety Council.
More than 600,000 students in Maryland will ride school buses to and from school this year. The Maryland Department of Transportation said students are most at risk when approaching or exiting a school bus.
A 2024 survey conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services found that 4,588 school bus drivers in Maryland observed 1,922 drivers illegally passing their bus on a single day.
Maryland law requires drivers to stop at least 20 feet in front of a school bus when its flashing lights are red and the brake arm is extended. Unless there is a physical barrier such as a median, drivers are prohibited from passing a school bus from any direction until the brake signals are off and the bus has started moving, the MDTA said.
Drivers who are stopped by a police officer for violating the school bus stop law face a fine of up to $570 and three points on their license. Thirteen Maryland counties have installed external bus camera systems to capture motorists who fail to stop for school buses. Violators caught on camera can be subject to a ticket.
“Stopping for school buses and paying attention to children is more than just a rule – it’s a commitment to foster a culture of safety,” said Department of Motor Vehicles Director Chrissy Nizer. “By staying vigilant and obeying traffic laws, we are creating a safer environment for students walking or biking to school and ensuring that school buses remain one of the safest modes of transportation in Maryland.”
Other driving safety measures to follow include:
- Put your phone away. It is forbidden to hold a mobile phone/device or write text messages while driving.
- Always stop for pedestrians at crosswalks and intersections.
- Observe all traffic signs, signals and markings.
- Drive slowly into and out of driveways and always watch for pedestrians behind your vehicle.
- Share the road! Keep a distance of one meter when overtaking cyclists on the road.
Students are more likely to be fatally injured while waiting for, boarding, or alighting from school buses as pedestrians. Parents should talk to their children about school bus safety, using the following tips:
- Arrive at bus stops early enough to allow enough time to get to the bus stop safely and wait at a safe distance.
- Remind students that bus stops are not places to run and play.
- Wait until the bus has come to a complete stop and the door is fully open before boarding the bus from the safe waiting area.
- Remind students to be careful around buses and never pick up an object that has fallen near or under the bus without first informing the bus driver.
Parents in Maryland are also urged to model safe pedestrian behavior with their children and discuss these safety tips:
- Use sidewalks and marked crosswalks whenever possible.
- Press the pedestrian light button and wait for the pedestrian signal before crossing the street.
- Stop at the curb and look left, right, and left again before crossing a street.
- Watch for cars entering or exiting driveways.
- When waiting for the school bus, stay away from traffic and the road.
- Stay alert when walking – put your phone away and take off your headphones.
Each year, nearly 500,000 school buses transport approximately 25 million elementary school students to and from school, covering approximately 5.7 million miles in a single school year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these children are 70 times more likely to arrive at school alive than students who get to school by other means.
However, the National Transportation Safety Board stated on its website: “Far too many drivers ignore the law on their own initiative and put children at risk.”
These fatal accidents are not included in the National Transportation Safety Board’s data from 2011 to 2020, which show 1,009 fatal accidents involving school transportation during that time period. Other findings:
- 52 percent of school-age pedestrians killed in school-related traffic accidents were between 5 and 10 years old.
- In accidents related to school traffic, 1.6 times more pedestrians (183) died than school bus passengers (113).
According to safety experts, most child injuries or deaths occur when the bus is stopped, the lights are flashing, and the stop arm is extended. In all 50 states, it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus under these conditions.
A survey released in July by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation estimates that illegal passing of stopped school buses increased by about 4 percent to about 45.2 million in the 2023-24 school year. The estimate is based on a one-day count of school bus drivers in 35 states, adjusted for all school buses operating nationwide.
Such violations remain “the greatest threat to child safety,” the group’s president, Mike Stier, said in a statement.
This was tragically demonstrated in the 2018 illegal school bus crossing, in which three young siblings from Indiana were killed as they crossed the street to board the school bus.
This prompted the NTSB, an independent agency of the U.S. Department of Transportation, to recommend that states allow enforcement cameras as a control tool. The agency also recommended that school districts minimize the number of school bus stops where children must cross the street.
