School Bus Stop Arm Laws, Need Advice

[coach_stew]

yes

[the-butcher]

I am happy to stop and get frustrated that people dont know to stop. Its for the safety of the bus and kids. The bus driver stops near my house on a 7 lane rd and ussually wont open doors till the people who are ignoring the lights and stop sign go by.

[Yelladog]

What 07jk said is correct and yes there are stop arm cameras but only in jurisdictions that allow them and enforce them. Worked in the school transportation business for years.

[helibow]

A cop reviews the cameras on board the school bus. So technically a cop DID see it . It's just like a red light camera.

Ahh... I wondered. I cant say that i've even seen a school bus much less driven past a school bus in close proximity in a long long time!


When I worked as a Paramedic in Oklahoma we had the "ability" as EMS providers to report a vehicle that did not have children restrained appropriately which would result in a warning the first time (I think...that was early 90's). I unfortunatley saw that "ability" get abused when a co-worker was a jilted lover of a single mom and decided he needed to make stupid choices and report her for no reason. He got the message when he was reported for the same violation... despite not having any kids.

[BigThicketBoy]

They have cameras on the buses

Yes
Inside and out

[Bruiser]

[QUOTE=SuperDave;8077956]Yes'er! If the Stop sign is out on a school bus, all lanes must stop. I believe even on a divided highway/QUOTE]

wrong

[jlinville]

I thought for a second the OP was involved with something I saw a couple of weeks ago.

I passes a school bus on a 5 lane highway. Just as I was passing it I noticed the bus driver put on his flashing yellows and as I passed they turned red and the stop sign came out. This wasn't to let kids out, but the bus was stopping at a railroad crossing. Why would they stop east and west bound traffic so they could stop at a railroad crossing if NONE of the railroad crossing lights were flashing and a train wasn't coming?

[CWKATTNER]

I thought for a second the OP was involved with something I saw a couple of weeks ago.

I passes a school bus on a 5 lane highway. Just as I was passing it I noticed the bus driver put on his flashing yellows and as I passed they turned red and the stop sign came out. This wasn't to let kids out, but the bus was stopping at a railroad crossing. Why would they stop east and west bound traffic so they could stop at a railroad crossing if NONE of the railroad crossing lights were flashing and a train wasn't coming?

I have always seen them just turn on the yellow caution lights. Being how quickly you said it happened, maybe the driver hit the switch on accident.

[3DW5]

Sorry but you do have to stop...

[91cavgt]

I thought for a second the OP was involved with something I saw a couple of weeks ago.

I passes a school bus on a 5 lane highway. Just as I was passing it I noticed the bus driver put on his flashing yellows and as I passed they turned red and the stop sign came out. This wasn't to let kids out, but the bus was stopping at a railroad crossing. Why would they stop east and west bound traffic so they could stop at a railroad crossing if NONE of the railroad crossing lights were flashing and a train wasn't coming?

I am a bus driver and have some incite on this.


It is required by law for school buses to stop at all rail road crossings, turn off all devices that make noise (all new buses have a single switch that will turn off all accessories that make noise), then open the driver window and the entry door to look both ways up and down the rail road track before crossing.

So, the buses also have a switch that automatically turns on the red lights when the door is open. A lot of drivers turn this switch on before they leave the bus barn and they forget that it is on. So, when they open the door, the red flashing lights turn on and the driver probably doesn't even realize it.



As to the OPs question, yeah you need to stop so pay up.

I try to let cars pass me before I load or unload kids because I know how it is. I too hate it when kids aren't ready to get on or get off the bus, but they are just kids and this happens quit often. We don't like it anymore than you guys.