ST. CLAIRSVILLE -- Law enforcement is reminding residents to be cautious when driving in the coming weeks, as school buses will soon be back on the roads.
As the school year commences, the Ohio State Highway Patrol will be out in force to help ensure students remain safe when traveling to and from school.
Lt. Maurice Waddell, commander of the patrol's St. Clairsville Post, said troopers will be stationed inside and outside of school zones, where they will be on the lookout for speeding and other traffic violations pertaining to school bus safety.
"Once school begins we’re going to have troopers working before and after school within the school zones looking for speed violations, and we’ll also have troopers out prior to going in the school zones following buses and looking for school bus violations,” he said.
Waddell said the biggest issue officers encounter is motorists passing the school buses when they are picking up and dropping off students.
Drivers are required to stop at least 10 feet in front of or behind a school bus when flashing lights and an extended arm are displayed, and by law they are not allowed to resume driving until the bus begins moving.
"Safety on the roadway is a shared responsibility by school bus drivers and motorists,” he said. "Motorists should always exercise caution while children are boarding and exiting school buses."
He said passing a school bus when its stop sign is out will result in a mandatory court appearance, a fine up to $500, and a possible suspension of a driver's license. Even if a trooper does not witness the offense, if it is reported by the school bus driver, the driver could still be fined.
"If someone passes them and they get a plate number, they relay the information to us and we’ll go to the registered address and speak with them about the violation. That is a violation we can take enforcement on even if we don’t witness it," he added.
Waddell said troopers want to get people back into the habit of seeing school buses out on the roads and to be aware of children attempting to cross the roads. He urges motorists to plan ahead and allow for extra time for school bus stops.
"Kids are going to be out and about here soon. Don’t drive distracted, pay attention to what’s going on, and never pass a school bus if they have the lights and the stop sign out," he said.
According to the OSHP statistics, there were 5,859 traffic crashes involving school buses reported in the state from 2016 to 2020. Waddell said fortunately there has not been a serious accident involving a school bus in many years in the local patrol district and he hopes to keep it that way.