ST. CLAIRSVILLE — With a new school year nearing, the Ohio State Highway Patrol is reminding residents to put down the distractions and drive carefully as school buses will soon return to the roads.

Students will soon be back in the classroom, and the patrol wants to ensure they remain safe when traveling to and from school. Lt. Maurice Waddell, commander of the patrol’s St. Clairsville Post, said the safety of students is a responsibility shared by school bus drivers, motorists and students.

The OSHP will be monitoring areas closely with troopers stationed in and around school zones.

“Our plans are, usually at the beginning of the school year we’ll have troopers in the school zones before and after school obviously looking for speed violations coming through the school zone. Even prior to that, if we see a school bus we’ll follow the school bus just to make sure there are no issues with any other drivers passing stopped school buses or things of that nature,” he said.

Waddell noted drivers are required to stop at least 10 feet in front of or behind a school bus when its flashing lights and extended arm are displayed. Motorists can only resume driving once the bus begins to move. Passing a school bus when its stop sign is out can result in a mandatory court appearance, a fine of up to $500, and a possible suspension of a driver’s license.

Waddell said troopers have encountered issues in the past with motorists passing stopped school buses when students are attempting to board or depart the bus. He said they are hoping to deter this situation.

The St. Clairsville Post on average issues around five to six citations to motorists for passing stopped school buses each school year. There have not been any serious accidents involving a school bus in many years in the local patrol district, Waddell said.

“Luckily we haven’t had any school bus crashes or anything like that, so that’s a good thing,” he said.

According to the OSHP, there have been 6,200 traffic crashes involving school buses since 2017 in Ohio. During the same time frame, 1,943 were injured and six were killed — none of those killed were on a school bus.

Waddell reminds motorists to keep their eyes on the roads and be cautious when approaching school zones.

“I just want to encourage people to put down the distractions, especially when they’re coming into a school zone, and be aware they are going to be out making frequent stops along the roadway to pick up children,” he said, adding that motorists should also be aware of children waiting at bus stops.