Rules of the Road: Texas Cracks Down on School Bus Safety

Waco, TX (FOX 44) — With school back in session, drivers are being reminded of the rules designed to keep children safe on their way to and from school.

Texas school bus laws are super important to abide by, and police say ignoring them could put young lives at risk.

In Texas, drivers must stop for flashing red lights on a school bus regardless of which direction the vehicle is traveling.

“If it’s a shared median or a two-lane road,” Waco Police Department PIO Cierra Shipley explains,
“The only time you don’t have to stop in the opposite direction of that bus is if you’re on a divided highway or there’s a median there where there is a physical barrier in between the two lanes.”

Violators face license suspension, jail time, or fines of up to $1,250. All school buses are equipped with cameras to catch offenders. Keep your eyes out for flashing lights and be ready to stop.

“Those lights may have been on before you noticed them, and they may be getting ready to make that stop,” Transportation Coordinator Carolina Pecina said. “At that point, you are pretty much out of time to try to pass that bus. It’s safer to just go ahead and stop, let them load or unload, and then proceed on.”

With school back in session, there will be more foot traffic and pedestrians. Waco PD says to be mindful and safe on the roads.

“We are going to be out at our school zones around the area,” Shipley claimed. “We’re definitely on high alert, as we always are. But we just know that there is an extra level of caution as kids get back to school, and we have to reintegrate to the number of people that are on the roads in the morning and later in the afternoon.”

Drivers are encouraged to talk to students about safety when getting on and off the bus.

“Make them aware of specifically those that have to cross over who are not on the door side to make sure that they are waiting for that bus driver to signal them,” Pecina expressed. “The bus drivers are encouraged to tell the students what the expectation is.”

Officers say it’s simple – stop when the bus stops – because nothing is worth more than a child’s safety.