When Following or Approaching a School Bus • Be Prepared To Stop. Flashing yellow lights on the bus are activated 100 to 300 feet before the bus is going to stop to load or unload children. • Drivers Must Stop and Remain Stopped when red lights flash. Drivers should not proceed until flashing red lights are turned off or the bus begins to move. Why Drivers Are Not Stopping and What You Can Do • In the beginning 40 days of the 2017-2018 school year, with 500 buses armed with cameras, 7,919 drivers were recorded illegally passing school buses, which means 198 bus camera citations were recorded per day. • Are drivers unaware (ignorant) of the law, impatient to get going, or not giving complete attention (driving distracted)? • The goal for camera installation on all of the County’s 1,200 school buses is January 2019. • Please know and obey the law; and share this information with friends and family

Violations are reviewed by the police department’s Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit and citations are mailed to the registered vehicle owner. • The camera-generated fine is $250 with no points on the driver’s license. • A citation issued by a police officer is $570 with three points on the driver’s license. • The goal is voluntary compliance and keeping our students safe

The Maryland Law • On Two Lane and Multi-Lane Roadways: Motorists traveling in both directions – regardless of how many travel lanes or the presence of a turn lane – Must Stop and Remain Stopped until the flashing red bus lights are turned off. • On Multi-Lane Roadways Divided By a Median Strip: Drivers following the bus must stop. Drivers do not need to stop if they are traveling in the opposite direction of the bus on a multilane highway that is divided by a physical barrier such as a grassy or paved median strip. Cars traveling in the opposite direction of the bus on a physically-divided highway may proceed with caution.