{"id":267750,"date":"2026-08-18T21:26:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/267750\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T21:26:23","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T21:26:23","slug":"ward-highlights-importance-of-school-bus-safety-ahead-of-new-school-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/267750\/","title":{"rendered":"Ward Highlights Importance of School Bus Safety Ahead of New School Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

DUNCANSVILLE \u2014 With students across Pennsylvania preparing to return to classrooms, Sen. Judy Ward (R-30)<\/a> today joined Rep. Scott Barger (R-80)<\/a>, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania School Bus Association and Fullington Auto Bus Company to remind motorists of their responsibility to remain alert around school buses.<\/p>\n

Ward, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, hosted the press conference at Fullington Auto Bus Company in Duncansville.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe commonwealth has long-standing laws and strict penalties to protect the safety of children entering or leaving a school bus,\u201d said Ward. \u201cAs we approach the new school year, I encourage drivers to slow down and stop for school buses and school children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pennsylvania\u2019s school bus stopping law prohibits drivers from overtaking a stopped school bus with its red signal lights flashing and stop arm activated. Drivers approaching a bus with flashing amber lights must slow down and be prepared to stop. Drivers must stop at least 10 feet from the bus and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn and all children have reached a place of safety before proceeding.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow is the time for all of us to recommit to driving with patience and mindfulness to protect Pennsylvania\u2019s children,\u201d said Barger. \u201cOur school bus operators have a tremendous responsibility to these young people, and those of us driving passenger cars need to do our part to ensure their jobs are not made any more difficult than they already are.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs students across Pennsylvania head back to school, we\u2019re asking every driver to slow down, stay alert and remember that school buses are making frequent stops in our communities,\u201d said Gerry Wosewick, PA School Bus Association representative. \u201cSchool bus drivers work every day to safely transport Pennsylvania\u2019s children, but keeping students safe is a responsibility we all share.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to PennDOT, approximately 1.5 million children are transported on Pennsylvania roads each day, traveling approximately 400 million miles to school each year. Children are needlessly injured or killed every year by drivers who pass stopped school buses.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs residents of central PA, our most treasured possessions are the children and youth school students of all ages, and our priority should be their safety regardless of whether we see them in neighborhood parks or riding a school bus,\u201d said Michael Dull with the Fullington Auto Bus Company. \u201cWhen motorists see a yellow school bus, they should immediately slow down and look around for students alongside the road. Be alert and cautious. When the lights begin to flash, prepare to come to a stop from both directions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Violating Pennsylvania\u2019s school bus stopping law can result in serious penalties. A citation issued by law enforcement for passing a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm activated carries a 60-day driver\u2019s license suspension, five points on the driver\u2019s record and a $250 fine. A violation involving a school bus equipped with an automated side stop signal arm enforcement system carries a $300 civil fine.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Pennsylvania\u2019s school bus stopping law here.<\/a><\/p>\n

CONTACT: Nolan Ritchie<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DUNCANSVILLE \u2014 With students across Pennsylvania preparing to return to classrooms, Sen. Judy Ward (R-30) today joined Rep.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-267750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pennsylvania-headlines","tag-pennsylvania-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=267750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/267750\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=267750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=267750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}