When Do You Stop For A School Bus? Know The Law In Maryland

May 26, 2024

MARYLAND — When Maryland schools open Aug. 28 or Sept. 5, drivers may be a bit rusty about what to do when they encounter a stopped school bus.

Every year, more than 25 million elementary through high school students get to and from school on buses, which travel about 5.7 billion miles in a single school year, according to the American School Bus Council.

When they ride the bus, they’re about 70 times more likely to arrive at school alive than those students who get to school by other means, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

There are dangers, though — notably when children get on and off the bus. When children are injured or killed, it usually happens when the school bus is stopped, the lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, according to safety experts.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia require drivers to come to a complete stop any time they encounter a bus with its lights flashing and stop arm extended.

Maryland law requires drivers from any direction to stop when a school bus is stopped along a roadway, picking up or letting off passengers, with the stop arm and signal lights activated, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. Drivers should not proceed until the bus is back in motion.

Violation of these laws will result in a $250 fine if caught on camera, and up to $570 and a three-point penalty on a driver’s license if stopped by a police officer.

Drivers must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with the stop arm extended and the red lights flashing, Maryland State Police said. Do not pass the bus from any direction until the stop signals are off and the bus is moving again. Drivers in Maryland are not required to stop if the road is separated by a physical median – such as dirt, grass, or a barrier.

Millions of children ride school buses and are most at risk when they get on or off the bus. There were 1,009 fatal school-transportation-related crashes from 2011 to 2020, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Despite laws, transportation officials estimate that about 42 million times every year, motorists pull around the legally stopped school buses, risking the lives of children as they get on and off. An average of six students a year died while attempting to board or get off their school buses from 2012 to 2021, according to the most recent National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey.

The report from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services didn’t discuss injuries and near misses, but safety experts say those numbers are much higher than the count of children who are killed.

While all states require a complete stop when the stop arm is extended, there are nuances. Most require other motorists to stop regardless of their direction, unless there’s a median separating lanes of traffic. And about half of states allow local governments or school districts to use cameras to capture images and issue tickets for drivers illegally passing stopped school buses.

In a single day in 2017, more than 104,000 school bus drivers observed nearly 78,000 instances in which motorists illegally passed stopped school buses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. At that rate, the tally for the entire school year would be around 14 million violations.

Another National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report found that from 2006-2015, 102 pedestrians under 18 were killed in school-transportation-related crashes.

Increasingly in recent years, state legislatures have adopted policies to improve bus safety. Along with the camera push, a requirement for seat belt use on school buses are keystone policies.

NHTSA data also shows that an average of six student passengers die a year in school bus crashes. The agency recommended in 2018 that states adopt legislation requiring passenger lap and shoulder belts on all new large school bus purchases.

AAA Mid-Atlantic reminds drivers and all road users to get back in the mindset of seeing school kids in neighborhoods and buses on the roads, with a focus on safety. This time of year is particularly dangerous due to the combination of young inexperienced drivers, school buses, and student pedestrians and bicyclists, all sharing the road.

Plus, schools across the region resume class on different dates, so drivers may encounter different situations as they drive through multiple counties or states.

“Drivers may be out of practice when it comes to the rules of the road, with school buses hitting the streets and students walking and biking to school,” said Ragina C. Ali, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic in Maryland and Washington, D.C. “While traffic patterns may change, the responsibility for keeping students safe does not. It's important that all drivers, as well as students, remain alert and follow basic precautions for a safe return back to school.”

AAA offers these tips as the new school year begins:

Drop-Off/Pick-Up Safety Tips

School Bus Safety Tips

Pedestrian Safety Tips

AAA Bicycle Safety Tips