West Windsor Police Ticketing Drivers Who Pass School Buses

Recent incidents in which children have been struck by drivers after exiting school buses have prompted the West Windsor Police Department to increase monitoring at school bus stops.

Police announced  that this month, officers will be at random bus stops ticketing drivers who pass school buses.  The penalty for passing a bus includes five points on a driver’s license.

“Recent incidents where school children have been struck by inattentive motorists have demanded increased attention to protecting our children,” police said in an advisory about the increased monitoring. “The transportation department has also ensured that students are dropped off on the bus side of the road when being picked up or released from a school bus. Officers have been instructed to look for school bus violations and issue the appropriate 5-point moving violation when necessary.

“The police department is working closely with the school transportation department to explore every angle in resolving this issue and educating drivers as to the law and the danger children are put in when the law is disregarded,” police said. “We hope everyone understands the need to protect innocent lives and keep children safe when they go to and leave school.”

All school buses have flashing lights and a stop arm to alert drivers about when to stop. The rules:

Flashing Yellow Lights – Yellow lights will begin to flash to warn drivers that a bus is approaching a stop. This is the signal to slow down and prepare to stop.

Flashing Red Lights  – If a driver approaches a school bus from either direction and the bus has flashing red lights,  the driver  must stop at least 25 feet away from the bus. If the driver is driving on the opposite side of the road with a median in the middle, the driver must then slow down to 10 miles per hour.