MEDIA CONTACT:
Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358,mcardoza@gadoe.org
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August 5, 2015 – As students return to school, the Georgia
Department of Education and State School Superintendent Richard Woods are
urging motorists to use caution when approaching a school bus and to brush up
on the law regarding passing a bus.
According to
Georgia law, vehicles traveling in BOTH directions must stop when a school bus
activates its stop-arm on a two-lane road or a multi-lane road with no median
or barrier. Vehicles traveling in the same direction as a school bus must
always stop, but motorists traveling in the opposite direction can proceed
(with caution) when there is an unpaved median or concrete barrier separating
the opposing lanes.
“I urge the
public to pay close attention to school buses and brush up on their
understanding of the law regarding passing stopped buses,” State School
Superintendent Richard Woods said. “In this situation, following the law may
mean saving a child’s life. The safety of our students as they travel to and
from school is of the utmost importance, and I ask for the participation of all
Georgians in making sure our students can travel safely.”
A warning
that a bus stop is about to take place will always be given with the flashing
amber lights on the front and rear of the school bus. Upon seeing these flashing
amber lights, vehicles approaching the school bus from both the front and rear
should immediately slow down and prepare to stop. All drivers must pay special
attention to children, be focused, and exercise caution when in the vicinity of
a school bus stop, as student riders can sometimes be unpredictable. Once the
bus is fully stopped, the flashing red lights will activate and the stop arm
will deploy. Vehicles must stop and should remain stopped until all loading
students are aboard in the morning or all unloading passengers have cleared 12
feet off the roadway in the afternoon. Motorists should proceed with caution
only after passengers have cleared the roadway, the stop arm is canceled and
the flashing red lights are deactivated.
“We urge
drivers to be alert and exercise patience and caution, especially around
children waiting at school bus stops or loading and unloading school buses,”
Superintendent Woods said. “Patient, informed, and law-abiding drivers ensure
that our children can arrive safely at school each day, ready to learn.”
More
resources:
Diagram
Tips
for motorists
Georgia
Department of Education school bus safety information
Governor’s Office of Highway Safety