Trouble is, people don't always do it. Three years ago, a statewide survey showed that during one day, about 10,000 instances occurred of motorists zipping around the big, yellow buses stopped to let pupils off or on. Nearly 1,000 of those law-breaking incidents happened in Pinellas. School starts today, and the people responsible for the safety of youngsters want motorists to get back into their school days mode of awareness. That means looking out for the buses and taking care when approaching school crossings and crossing guards.
State law spells it out clearly.
Drivers approaching a bus from the front or back are required to stop when the bus stops and displays its signals and flashing lights. Motorists must slow down, usually to 15 mph, in a school zone or crossing area. Failure to do either can result in a citation and a fine. Sometimes motorists are confused about the rules on a multilane road and fail to stop when coming toward a bus from the opposite direction. That's wrong, the law says.