HOULTON, Maine — Faced with an alarming increase in the number of vehicles passing school busses, Joe Schneider, RSU 29 transportation and facilities coordinator is asking residents to be more mindful of busses as they transport children to and from school.
According to Schneider, the district has seen a “dramatic increase in cars running school bus lights over the past two weeks,” which has prompted him to try an educate motorists on the laws surrounding school busses.
“This month, our bus drivers have seen a dramatic increase in the number of motorists that have passed school buses in the process of letting students on or off of the school bus,” Schneider said. “One motorist passed a bus on the door side although its red lights were flashing and the bus was stopped. That is absolutely frightening!”
By law, a motorist must stop for any school bus that has its red lights flashing. Passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing is a Class E crime in Maine, subject to a $250 minimum fine for the first offense and a mandatory 30-day suspension of a driver’s license for a second offense occurring within three years of the first offense.
Capt. Dan Pelletier, Houlton’s acting police chief, said his agency has not seen an increase in the amount of traffic complaints for motorists passing school busses. The department has responded to just four calls over the past six months.
Schneider explained that statistic was likely due to the fact that his drivers have not been able to get license plates of offending vehicles, for a number of reasons, such as snow or dirt-covered license plates. Also, some of the incidents have occurred in Littleton or Monticello, and would therefore not be reported to the Houlton police.
According to Schneider, school busses use two types of flashing lights to alert motorists. The first is a flashing yellow lights which is to let drivers know that the bus is preparing to stop to let children on or off of the school bus. Motorists should be slowing down and preparing to stop when they see these lights, he said.
Flashing red lights signal that bus has come to a stop and is either letting children on or off the bus. Motorists must stop, even if the bus is on a four-lane road, in a parking area or on school property. Motorists may not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or until signaled by the school bus operator to proceed.
Schneider added it was because of the skilled training of the district’s bus drivers that no students have been injured.
“We are lucky that our school district spends a considerable amount of time training its drivers,” he said. “Despite that, no amount of training can guarantee a student won’t be killed or seriously injured by a distracted motorist or a motorist that doesn’t comply with the law and passes a stopped school bus.”
Schneider said he didn’t think motorists were intentionally passing school busses, rather it was more likely a case of distracted drivers.
