As school is back in session, with it comes an increase in the number of school busses on the roadways and children crossing the street. Monmouth Police Chief Joe Switzer reminds motorists to use extreme caution and that it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus:
“There are a lot of busses moving around town in the morning and in the afternoons. Annually, we do have quite a few people that are ticketed for going around a school bus that is stopped. One of the big things is that when a school bus is stopped and the stop sign is out and the crossing arm is out, that means they are either loading children onto the bus or they are offloading children. Nationally, that is the most dangerous time for those children is when they are getting on and off the bus and being struck by a vehicle that is going around the bus. That is why the stop signs are there. That is why the cross arms are there. It is a state law. You have to stop for the bus, whether you are approaching the bus from the front or from behind, you have to stop.”
Chief Switzer informs the only times to pass a school bus are if the stop sign and crossing arm are not out or if the bus driver waves you by.
