It’s often been said that the children are our future. Perhaps that’s why lawmakers across the land have felt inclined to create laws that provide an extra level of protection for our youth.

As the School Bus Safety Officer, I have seen a growing trend in motorists not complying with the law designed to provide an extra level of safety for students who use the school bus as a means of transportation to and from school.

I think that some of the confusion is due to a lack of understanding as to when a motorist has to stop for a school bus when it has its flashing red lights activated.

In short, section 22454(a) of the California Vehicle Code reads that any vehicle upon meeting or overtaking, from either direction, any school bus displaying flashing red lights and a stop signal arm shall not proceed past the school bus.

While the law is specific and clear that motorists traveling in either direction shall stop, I regularly see motorists drive past a bus with its red lights flashing and its stop signal arm deployed.

Upon making an enforcement stop on a motorist for passing a school bus with its flashing lights on, some of the most common excuses I get are: “The bus is on the other side of the road,” “There’s a two-way left turn lane between us, and I don’t have to stop,” or the very concerning statement I get on occasion, “What school bus?”

Because I, too, believe that the children are our future, please be extra vigilant when you see a school bus on the road with its red flashing lights activated, no matter which direction you are traveling.

And if you’re in doubt, please err on the side of caution whenever you’re sharing the road with a school bus. Each day that our children get to school and return home to us safely is its own reward.

Officer Mike Humble is with the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area.

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