School Bus Safety Program

The Swatara Township Police Department has partnered with the Central Dauphin School District and BusPatrol to launch a new School Bus Safety Program in line with Pennsylvania Vehicle Code § 3345.1 (Automated Enforcement of Failure to Stop for School Bus with Flashing Red Lights).
 
As part of the program, school buses that transport Central Dauphin School District students are outfitted with safety technology to make the ride to and from school safer for all. This technology includes photo enforcement cameras to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses while the stop sign is out and red lights are engaged. Our Police Department will be reviewing provided video footage of reported illegal school bus passings in Swatara Township and Paxtang Borough to determine if a violation occurred. If a suspected violation is confirmed BusPatrol will issue a violation by mail.
 
The safety of our children is a top priority. Pennsylvania’s Operation Safe Stop reported more than 250 illegal passes in just one school day in 2021, and reports estimate that school buses are illegally passed more than two times per bus per day. This safety initiative is designed to curb dangerous driving behavior around school buses and to protect our students.
 
What do I do when I see a stopped school bus in Pennsylvania?
 
As per PA Vehicle Code § 3345:
  • The driver of a vehicle meeting or overtaking any school bus stopped on a highway or trafficway shall stop at least ten feet before reaching the school bus when the red signal lights on the school bus are flashing and the side stop signal arms are activated.
  • The driver shall not proceed until the flashing red signal lights are no longer actuated. 
  • In no event shall a driver of a vehicle resume motion of the vehicle until the school children who may have alighted from the school bus have reached a place of safety. 
  • The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection at which a school bus is stopped shall stop his vehicle at that intersection until the flashing red signal lights are no longer actuated.
  • The driver of a vehicle upon a highway or trafficway with separate roadways need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus with actuated red signal lights which is on a different roadway.
Created Mar 21, 2024 @ 1:59 PM | Updated Mar 21, 2024 @ 4:09 PM