Motorists should be aware of the bus law

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

It’s back to school time and local authorities are reminding motorists that stopping for stopped school buses is required – it is not optional.

Lincolnview students began school on Wednesday, Vantage Career Center students began on Thursday, Crestview students will head back to school on Monday and Van Wert students in grades 1-12 will start school on Tuesday.

All motorists should be aware that the State of Ohio school bus law simply states that on all two and three lane roads and highways, each vehicle must stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and/or an extended stop arm. Drivers must remain stopped until the bus starts moving or the driver signals that it’s safe to pass. The chart to the right shows the procedure on four lane highways.

Motorists who claim they didn’t see the flashing lights and/or stop arm or don’t understand the school bus law will still find themselves with a citation and a court date.

Van Wert Police Chief Doug Weigle said it’s not a “warning” offense, meaning a citation will be issued every time. In addition, virtually all school buses, including Van Wert City Schools buses, are equipped with cameras that record video evidence of all infractions.

“It’s a mandatory citation and it’s a mandatory appearance in court and we do get the video from each bus,” Van Wert Police Chief Doug Weigle said. “I don’t know of any cases lost in court since we have started getting the video for the violation.”

Violations aren’t just confined to the Van Wert city limits – they also occur throughout Van Wert County and are handled by the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office.

“We do get complaints throughout the school year and yes, even one is too many,” Van Wert County Sheriff Tom Riggenbach said.

Any motorist charged and convicted of passing a stopped school bus will face a stiff penalty, which includes a mandatory court appearance and a fine of up to $500 and a license suspension of up to one year.