When Do You Stop For A School Bus? Know The Law In Maryland

MARYLAND — When many schools open in Maryland on Aug. 26, drivers may be a bit rusty about what to do when encountering a stopped school bus. Knowing stop arm laws, and following them, can save the lives of dozens of children killed every year in America getting on or off the school bus, transportation safety officials say.

In Maryland, the law requires drivers to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with the stop arm extended and the red lights flashing. Do not pass the bus from any direction until the stop signals are off and the bus is moving again. Motorists in Maryland are not required to stop if the road is separated by a physical median such as dirt, grass, or a barrier.

In the 2022-23 school year, the latest period for which data is available, there were 104 school bus-related deaths nationally, but none in Maryland according to the National Safety Council.

More than 600,000 Maryland students will take a school bus to and from classes this year. The Maryland Department of Transportation said students are most at risk when they approach or leave a school bus.

A 2024 survey conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services reported that 4,588 school bus drivers in Maryland observed 1,922 drivers illegally passing their bus — all on a single day.

Maryland law says drivers must come to a complete stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when its lights are flashing red and its stop-arm is extended. Unless separated by a physical barrier such as a median, it is illegal for a motorist to pass a school bus from any direction until the stop signals are off and the bus has begun to move, the MDTA said.

Drivers stopped by a police officer for violating the school bus stop law face a fine of up to $570 and three points on their drivers’ licenses. Thirteen Maryland counties have deployed external bus camera systems to record motorists who fail to stop for school buses. Violators detected by camera may be mailed a citation with a fine.

“Stopping for school buses and watching for children is more than just a rule – it’s a commitment to fostering a culture of safety,” said Motor Vehicle Administrator Chrissy Nizer. “By staying vigilant and obeying traffic laws, we create a safer environment for students to walk or bike to school and ensure school buses continue to be one of Maryland’s safest modes of transportation.”

Other driving safety measures to follow include:

• Put down the phone. It’s illegal to use a handheld phone/device or text while driving.
• Always stop for pedestrians in crosswalks and at intersections.
• Obey all traffic signs, signals and markings.
• Enter and exit driveways slowly and always check for pedestrians behind your vehicle.
• Share the road! Allow three feet when passing bicyclists on the roadway.

Students are more likely to be fatally injured as a pedestrian while waiting for or getting on or off the school bus. Parents should talk to their children about bus safety, following these tips:

• Arrive at bus stops early, allowing time to travel safely to and wait at a safe distance from the bus stopping point.
• Remind students that bus stops are not a place to run and play.
• Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop and for the door to fully open before proceeding onto the bus from the safe waiting area.
• Remind students to use caution around buses and to never retrieve an item dropped near or under the bus without first letting the bus driver know.

Maryland parents are also urged to model safe pedestrian behavior for children and discuss these safety tips:

• Use sidewalks and marked crosswalks whenever possible.
• Press the pedestrian signal button and wait for the walk signal before crossing the road.
• Stop at the curb and look left, right and left again before crossing a street.
• Watch for cars entering or exiting driveways.
• Stand away from traffic and the street when waiting for the school bus.
• Stay alert while walking – put the phone down and remove headphones.

Every year, nearly 500,000 school buses take about 25 million elementary through high school students to and from school, traveling about 5.7 million miles in a single school year. These kids are 70 times more likely to arrive at school alive than those students who get to school by other means, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

However, the National Transportation Safety Board noted on its website, “Far too many drivers simply choose to ignore the law for their own convenience and put children at risk.”

Those fatal crashes aren’t included in National Transportation Safety Board data from 2011 to 2020. It shows 1,009 fatal school transportation-related crashes during the period. Other findings:

• 52 percent of school-age pedestrians killed in school transportation-related crashes were 5- to 10-year-olds.
• 1.6 times more fatalities occurred among pedestrians (183) than occupants of school buses (113) in school-transportation-related crashes.

In most cases when children are injured or killed, it’s when the bus is stopped, the lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, according to safety experts. It’s illegal in all 50 states to pass a stopped school bus under those conditions.

A survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation released in July estimated that illegal passing of stopped school buses increased by about 4 percent in the 2023-24 school year to about 45.2 million. The estimate is based on a one-day count by school bus drivers in 35 states, adjusted for all school buses operating nationwide.

Such violations continue to be “the greatest safety danger to children,” the group’s president, Mike Stier, said in a statement.

That was tragically illustrated in an illegal school bus passing in 2018 that resulted in the deaths of three young Indiana siblings while they were crossing the road to get on the school bus.

That led the NTSB, an independent agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation, to recommend that states allow stop arm cameras as an enforcement tool. The agency also recommended that school districts minimize the number of school bus stops that require children to cross a roadway.

So far, 25 states have adopted stop arm camera laws, including Maryland.