New Kentucky Law Changes Who Needs to Stop for a School Bus

I Finally Said "No More"

My daughter rides the bus to school, and when she was in elementary school, our transportation department called and asked if I could bring her to the end of our neighborhood each morning. We live in a large subdivision, and she was the only student being picked up there. It would save the bus about eight or nine minutes, which was crucial since it had to drop off younger students before picking up high schoolers.

I happily obliged.

Every morning, I took her to a four-way stop at the entrance to our neighborhood. She had to cross the road to get on the bus. About once a month, someone would drive right around that stopped school bus.

I finally said, "No more," and now she gets picked up at home.

It just burns my biscuits when folks drive around a school bus.

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Millions of Drivers Illegally Pass School Buses Every Year

School buses are without a doubt the safest way for students to get to school. But according to Indiana.gov, from 2000 to 2022, there were 55 fatalities in crashes involving a driver who illegally passed a stopped school bus, an average of 2.4 deaths each year.

The state also cites the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services' 2023 Stop-Arm Survey, which found that 94,581 school bus drivers reported 62,482 illegal passings on a single day during the 2022-23 school year. Over a 180-day school year, that projects to more than 43.5 million illegal passings nationwide.

Kentucky's New School Bus Passing Law

In Kentucky, drivers on both sides of a two-lane road have long been required to stop when a school or church bus has its stop arm extended. But on July 15, a new Kentucky law took effect that also prohibits drivers from passing a stopped school bus on many four-lane roads.

This includes highways and four-lane roadways with a center turning lane.

The only exception is when the stopped bus is on the opposite side of a highway with four or more lanes separated by an elevated barrier or an unpaved median.

Penalties for Illegally Passing a School Bus

The new law also increases penalties for drivers who fail to stop for a school or church bus that is loading or unloading passengers.

According to WDRB, drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus can receive a $300 civil penalty for a first offense and $500 for additional violations within three years. Police can review stop-arm camera footage, confirm a violation, and contact the driver, who has 60 days to appeal. The law also allows the state to suspend a driver's vehicle registration if they fail to pay the penalty on time.