TZD Tuesday - Illegal School Bus Passing Awareness

National School Bus Safety Week aims to highlight the dangers of illegal school bus passing. The national campaign kicked off yesterday and runs through October 21. Although it is illegal in every state to pass a school bus while the school bus stop-arm is extended and the red lights are flashing, illegal school bus passing continues to pose a significant threat. The school bus is one of the safest ways to transport children, but most injuries and fatalities that occur outside of or near a school bus happen because a motorist failed to obey the stop-arm warning or to follow local traffic laws.

Stop for School Buses: It's the Law!

• State law requires all vehicles to stop for school buses when the bus driver activates the flashing lights and has the crossing arm fully extended.
• Drivers who violate the law face a $500 fine.
• Drivers can face criminal charges for passing a school bus on the right, passing when a child is outside the bus or injuring or killing a child. 

Let’s work together to keep our children safe as they wait to ride the bus to and from school. Together, we can drive Minnesota toward zero deaths.