Trooper Hammons Stresses School Bus Safety

Trooper Stephen Hammons, Public Information Officer for State Police Troop I visited 'Mornings With Ken and Bernie' today and answered a most important question at this time of year.

 
When asked if drivers can drive past a stopped school bus Hammons said,

The law says if you are on a roadway with two or more lanes traveling in one direction and that roadway has a center turn lane or a physical barrier such as a grass median you do not have to stop for a school bus.

According to Hammons,

The key here is that it is more than one lane.  You will see in certain areas three lanes with two lanes traveling in opposing directions and a center turn lane.  In that instance you would have to stop for a school discharging or picking up children.

Hammons went on to say,

Obviously if you are on a road with only two lanes and a bus is picking up children or discharging them you must stop.

Trooper Hammons suggested it is always a good idea to teach young drivers to go through 'what if' scenarios in their heads before they are faced with a questions such as 'should I stop for a bus on this road'.

Listen to the interview for more details: