jurisdictions do not. The remaining nine only require a motorist to stop when approaching a divided roadway of less than four lanes. Additionally, state laws vary on what constitutes a di-
vided highway, according to the State Laws on School Bus Passing report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The result is confusion, especially for motorists cross-
ing state lines or encountering unfamiliar road layouts. Plus, student crossing rules also differ. California school bus drivers must physically exit their vehicle armed with a stop paddle and the school bus keys and walk younger students across the street. “It would be best if it was all the same, if everybody knew the same rule,” Graham said, citing research from NHTSA’s November 2024 report, Driver Knowledge of School Bus Passing Laws: A National Survey. While more than 90 percent of motorists surveyed
correctly identified when to stop behind a school bus on a four-lane, undivided roadway, only 53 percent knew to stop when approaching from the front. Just 17.5 percent answered correctly when a motorist is approaching from the front on a four-lane, divided roadway. A November 2024 NHTSA national survey found
that 30.5 percent of respondents said most drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses do so because they “didn’t care.” The National Association of Pupil Transportation is
also looking at uniform language to address the gap, a board member shared during the session. That gap has led some districts (where states allow)
to adopt automated enforcement cameras that capture violations and help issue citations. Such a program is in place in Austin, Texas, where officials recorded about 14,000 violations in a single school year. Austin ISD Executive Director of Transportation Kris Hafeziza- deh shared that information with attendees during a March 30 panel discussion, Strategies to Remove Danger from the Loading & Unloading Zone. “Think about that,” Hafezizadeh said, adding the
number of repeat violators is about 1 percent. “Some- thing is working.” Camera enforcement, combined with public aware- ness, has shown promise. But even that approach depends on consistent legal frameworks, something not yet in place nationwide. While illegal passing draws much attention, it is only
one part of a broader safety picture. Recent student fatality data from the Kansas Department of Education’s National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey show that not all tragedies involve passing vehicles. A 55-year summary of the data indicates that school buses
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