CALDWELL COUNTY, NC (August 24, 2017)…The North Carolina Legislature imposed stricter penalties in 2015 for drivers convicted of passing a stopped school bus.
Caldwell County Schools Back In Session On Monday, August 29…
A motorist who passes a school bus that is stopped for students…getting on or off would be guilty of a Class1 misdemeanor and must pay a minimum fine of $500. Depending on the infraction, the penalty could be harsher and more costly.
This should help increase the awareness that the consequences of passing a stopped school bus are not only monetary consequences, but could have criminal implications as well.
Motorists will see heavy traffic the first few weeks of school. That’s generally when bus drivers in our area start to see dangerous driving behavior like speeding and passing stopped school buses. Also, more and more parents drive their children to school, thus causing more traffic. Another safety concern is the inexperienced and numerous high school students driving themselves to school. Cell phone use while driving also plays a dangerous role for school buses where distracted motorists simply can’t or don’t pay attention while driving.
You should always give school buses plenty of space and watch for oncoming vehicles that may not be paying attention. It onlytakes a couple of minutes to be cautious.
Please remember to give yourself extra time in the morning and afternoon when school buses are on the road picking up and dropping off their “Precious Cargo.”
Most of the time it only takes a few seconds of patience to drive safely when you encounter a school bus. You should never “tailgate” a school bus…bus drivers say that this happens frequently and the vehicle simply disappears behind the bus.