Police: Stop for the School Bus

Here's an announcement provided by the Livermore Police Department:

The Livermore Police Department would like to remind drivers that they must stop for school buses that are loading or unloading children on our community’s roadways.

California vehicle code 22424 (a) reads: Drivers, in either direction, are required to stop when they are approaching or overtaking any school bus equipped with and displays a flashing red light signal and a stop signal arm (which is a device that can extend outward from the side of the school bus to signal motorists not to pass the bus.)  The driver shall stop their vehicle immediately before passing the school bus and shall not proceed past the school bus until the flashing red light signal is no longer activated and stop signal arm is retracted.

If a driver approaches a bus that has red lights flashing only, the driver is not required to stop, but should proceed past the bus with due caution.

If a driver approaches a bus that is stopped with red lights flashing and the stop sign signal arm extended, they are required to stop, and remain stopped, until the signal arm is retracted.

Drivers are not required to stop, if the roadway is a divided highway or a multiple-lane highway and the bus is stopped on the opposite side of the roadway.  (A multiple-lane highway is defined as any highway that has two or more lanes of travel in each direction.)

A driver who violates the above law could be subject to a $680.00 fine and a point on their driver’s license.

Although nationwide buses are one of the safest modes of transportation, most children that are injured or killed are preparing to enter, or are exiting the bus. 

Drivers need to watch out for children approaching or leaving the bus, especially since some of these children may be crossing the street.  A good rule of thumb is to think of a school bus as you do a school zone and to drive accordingly.

The Livermore Police Department wants to remind our community’s drivers that traffic safety is a priority for our department and together we can work to reduce the number of collisions occurring in Livermore, and help to keep our community members safe, including students using school transportation.

For more information, please call Officer Traci Rebiejo, Livermore Police Traffic Education at 925-580-9665.