Search Site
Menu

Safety Around School Buses

The weather may be cooling off, the sun is lower when we leave the office, and yellow school buses are back on the road, all signs that children are back in school. Now, while you may lament the added traffic and curse the day you leave after the bus, making you 20 minutes late for work, there are a lot of rules when it comes to schools and driving.

What are the rules you ask?

First, in 2015 alone, there were 476 citations for passing stopped school bus according to Fairfax County Police Department. Virginia Code states that any driver who fails to stop for a school bus that is loading or discharging students is guilty of reckless driving.

That’s right. If a school bus has stopped you must also stop.

It doesn’t matter if you’re driving in the opposite direction. If you share the road with a school bus, your movement depends on the actions of the bus. There is one exception, and that is if you’re on the other side of a divided highway. But there must be a median or some form of separation between the roads. A double yellow line or a center turning lane does not count as adequate separation. When buses are stopping they must have warning lights and a stop sign, but if for some reason the lights fail to flash or the stop sign fails to engage, the drivers must stop if the doors are open and children are entering or exiting.

School Bus, Rules, Laws, Children

Drivers must also be careful and pay attention to school zones. Signs for school zones usually encompass the area of the school and 600 feet outside either end of the school. They must be marked by permanent flashing signs, which are turned on 30 minutes before the start of the school day and left on until 30 minutes after the end of the school day. The speed limit in the area is a standard 25 miles per hour. Speeding or improper driving is not automatically reckless driving but may be if the actions constitute a danger to life.

Moral of this blog? Don’t drive recklessly around school buses. When in doubt, just stop if the bus has stopped. The potential consequences aren’t worth the minute you may save on your drive.

 


Check out your local government website for more information! (www.fairfaxcounty.gov)

OUR RESULTS
  • "$2,000,000.00 Auto Pedestrian Hit by Car / Brain Injury"

  • "$2,000,000.00 Pedestrian Hit By Bus / Broken Foot, Surgery Complications & Partial Choroidal Detachment"

  • "$2,000,000.00 Wrongful Death Settlement"

  • "$1,900,000.00 Pedestrian Hit By Truck / Fractured Pelvis & Multiple Surgeries"

  • "$1,500,000.00 Auto Accident / Wrongful Death"

  • "$1,200,000.00 Auto Accident / Broken Neck, Punctured Lung"

  • "$847,500.00 Dangerous Dog Bite / Facial Injury, Scarring"

  • "$600,000.00 Tractor Trailer Crash / Neck Injury, requiring surgery"

  • "$595,000.00 (Jury Verdict) Auto Accident / Broken Foot"

  • "$546,905.00 Auto Accident / Neck injury, Herniated Disc"

Meet Our Attorneys
Our Awards & Memberships
  • Best Personal injury lawyers in Alexandria
  • NTL-40-under-40
Client Reviews
  • google
    5.0/5.0

    I recently got hit by a drunk driver and had severe pain in my back so I contacted Curcio Law and had Justin as my attorney. Justin was a great attorney he guided me through the process and resolved my case in a matter of time. Justin updated me mult...

    Read more

    Benhanan Hadgu

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    Justin Curcio helped my father with a John vs Doe accident. He was always available and always answered our questions in depth and extensively. He made it very obvious that he really cares for his clients and always wants what’s best for them and a...

    Read more

    Begum Kucuk

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    I am so grateful that Tom Curico was my lawyer in a recent injury case. His persistence & due diligence went well above my expectations leaving me with a settlement I was not expecting. His attention to detail and thoroughness made the best outcome...

    Read more

    MICHELE SNODDY

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    The Curcio Law Firm (particularly Tom Curcio and Justin Curcio) did an excellent job of representing me in my personal injury case. I was severely injured in a car/bike accident. They are smart, experienced in personal injury matters, easy to work wi...

    Read more

    milton whitfield

  • google
    5.0/5.0

    Don’t look twice in your search in Virginia for an attorney. I did a few google searches for a lawyer after I got rear ended by 2 cars and suffered injuries. Other firms weren’t as responsive or were more focused on gloating about their credentia...

    Read more

    Kevin Hernandez

See all reviews
Contact us

Quick Contact Form