Authorities Warn Motorists to Heed School Bus Lights

One of the greatest concerns of educators and parents everywhere is getting kids safely to school and back.

A new California law, in force since Jan. 1, has changed the traffic rules concerning school buses significantly. Drivers now are required to stop with greater frequency near buses, bringing California into line with strict laws elsewhere across the nation.

The law was instigated by an Orange County man whose 7-year-old son was killed in traffic in 1994 after getting off a school bus. It was introduced by Assemblyman Bill Morrow (R-Oceanside) and approved by Gov. Pete Wilson in October.

But despite a public relations campaign before the law took effect, many educators say that drivers still aren’t aware of how the rules work.

Here is a recap of what the law says and how it is supposed to work, according to information from school districts and the California Highway Patrol.

Any time a school bus stops to pick up or drop off children, the bus driver must turn on flashing red lights. Those lights, located on the tail and the front of the bus, are an unequivocal signal for all traffic to stop from all directions.

That rule applies whether the road is wide or narrow, whether a median is dividing the two directions of traffic or not. It means, simply, that drivers following the bus or approaching it from the other direction must stop until the flashing lights are turned off.

Previously, the law required a bus driver to turn on the flashing red lights--and stop traffic--only if a student was expected to be crossing the street.

In rare cases on certain roads, school officials are allowed to waive the flashing- red-light rule after consulting with the CHP and determining that halting all traffic poses a greater hazard.

But drivers should simply heed the school bus lights, officials say, and not assume that it’s safe--or legal--to pass a stopped bus.

Those who break the law face steep fines. School officials say first-time offenders could be ticketed for up to $271 in Santa Ana and $250 in Garden Grove, to name just two examples.