Illegal School Bus Passing Awareness

National School Bus Safety Week aims to highlight the dangers of illegal school bus passing. Although it is illegal in every state to pass a school bus while the school bus stop-arm is extended and the red lights are flashing, illegal school bus passing continues to pose a significant threat. The school bus is one of the safest ways to transport children, but most injuries and fatalities that occur outside of or near a school bus happen because a motorist failed to obey the stop-arm warning or to follow local traffic laws.

Stop for School Buses: It's the Law!

• State law requires all vehicles to stop for school buses when the bus driver activates the flashing lights and has the crossing arm fully extended.
• Drivers who violate the law face a $500 fine.
• Drivers can face criminal charges for passing a school bus on the right, passing when a child is outside the bus, or injuring or killing a child. 

Let’s work together to keep our children safe as they wait to ride the bus to and from school. Together, we can drive Minnesota toward zero deaths.