Stopped School Bus Failures
It’s September and it’s Back-to-School time. It means there will be school busses on the roads and there are some very important things I don’t think drivers are aware of when it comes to stopped school busses. This ignorance can cost you – a lot! Both in terms of out-of-pocket and possibly a lifetime of emotional distress.
One of the things most misunderstood is that vehicles are required to stop behind or in front of a school bus that is stopped with red lights flashing and stop sign out. I believe the misunderstanding comes from the fact that many motorists believe it only applies if you are behind the bus. But the law also applies if you are approaching the bus from the opposite direction.
A good explanation of what you need to do when approaching a stopped school bus can be found at www.alberta.ca/school-buses.aspx This website has diagrams that illustrate the proper stopping procedure for the various types of highways: 2 lane, 4 lane, median present, etc. Here is a direct quote from the website:
On an undivided highway (not divided by a median), do the following:
- When you approach a school bus from either direction (from the front or the rear), and it has the alternating amber lights flashing, you must be ready to stop. This is a warning that the alternating red lights are going to begin flashing and the school bus is stopping to allow students to get on or off.
- If you pass a school bus that has its alternating amber lights flashing, pass with caution.
- When the school bus stops to let students on or off, its alternating red lights will begin flashing. You will also see a stop sign extended from the left side of the school bus. You must come to a full stop about 20 metres (about 4 to 5 car lengths) away from the school bus. This distance allows drivers of other vehicles behind you to see the flashing lights and students crossing the highway.
- You must remain stopped until the alternating flashing red lights are turned off and the stop sign on the driver’s side is no longer extended.
On a divided highway you are only required to stop if you are travelling in the same direction as the school bus. If it is a 4-lane divided highway, the stopping requirement applies to both lanes in the direction of travel. If you are travelling in the opposite direction on a 4-lane divided highway you do not need to stop but you should use caution and be aware of the stopped school bus.
The stop sign on the bus is not a “stop and go” situation like a roadside stop sign. Do not proceed until the red flashing lights are off and the stop sign is no longer deployed. Many vehicles come to a stop, then crawl past the bus while the red lights are still flashing. That is illegal, and dangerous.
While the practice is to let kids off on the right side of the highway/road so they do not have to cross the highway, there are exceptions, especially on secondary roads, and “Stuff Happens”. For example, a child gets off the bus and the wind picks up their homework and blows it across the highway. They are going to chase after it. Or it’s a ball they drop, or it’s bad weather, or they forgot something.
If you are caught passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing, you will be charged under sec. 72(1) of the Alberta Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulations. Clayton Terletski Director of Emergency Management Foothills County Patrol outlined the procedure is as follows:
“Video, photos and statement from the bus driver are sent to us. The file is assigned to one of our officers and they review it and see if there is enough evidence to charge. They will even speak to the bus driver. If there is enough evidence, a ticket is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle with a photo of the vehicle.”
Some school busses have cameras that record vehicles which do not stop, and additional cameras are being installed. If an Officer personally witnesses an infraction occurring, they can stop the vehicle and issue a roadside ticket as well.
Foothills RCMP issued 27 tickets for this infraction. Last school year Foothills County Peace Officers Issued 9 tickets. The fine is $567, and if you are caught by an officer (and not just by camera) there are also 6 demerits. That would be the best outcome for you. The worst is if you did not stop, and you killed a child crossing the road. It has happened in Foothills County.
The RCMP provided a breakdown of the violators’ addresses, and of the 27, all but 5 are local addresses. Illegal passing of a stopped red-lights-flashing school bus is unfortunately a daily occurrence. There are also a lot of “near misses”.
So now you know, and incidentally, what is it you plan to do with that 30 seconds you’re trying to save?
Dave Schroeder
HCRCWA Board Member
