This common violation puts kids in danger. Here’s how local officials want to stop it

It’s a familiar scene. It’s 3:30 p.m. and a line of cars stretch behind a stopped school bus with flashing red lights that indicate students are getting off the bus.

But sometimes, cars coming from the opposite direction, or passing on the left, don’t stop. And that’s what the State College Area School District and local law enforcement are calling a “dangerous and illegal act” they hope to stop.

SCASD and the Ferguson Township, Patton Township, and State College police departments are teaming up Wednesday as part of National School Bus Safety Week to host Operation Safe Stop, in which local police officers will monitor bus stops and follow school buses around the district, looking for drivers who may be violating the Pennsylvania Meeting or Overtaking a School Bus law.

The law states that cars cannot pass a stopped school bus with flashing red lights. The penalty for violating the law is a fine of $250, five points attached to your license and a 60-day license suspension.

“We seem to have so many issues with people passing school buses,” said Ferguson Township Police Chief Chris Albright.

A problem area for violations is the bus stop at Blue Course Drive near College Avenue, said Albright. On a regular day, three officers are typically stationed there to watch for safety violations.

So far this school year, according to a press release from the district, SCASD has recorded 27 violations using cameras installed on all school buses. Last school year, the district documented 77 violations that involved district-owned buses, not including contracted buses that also service students.

Police say that school bus violations have doubled since the 2015-2016 school year.

Linda Waite, a bus driver for SCASD, told the district she has seen too many “red light violations” in her 21 years of working for them.

“The biggest concern is that a student could get hurt or killed,” she said.

This story was originally published October 23, 2018 at 2:30 PM.