By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
With this week designated as School Bus Safety Week, there’s no time like the present to brush up on the law as it relates to school buses.
That’s the message being spread by Sgt. Tim Crumpler and other members of the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
“Whenever you see a school bus, use good driving behavior,” said Crumpler, who works out of the patrol’s Washington office. “Be alert for children running to and from the school bus. Follow at a safe distance; the bus drivers may have their hands full with the students. You want to be at a safe distance so you can react as well. The buses have frequent scheduled stops to pick up kids so you want to be ready for that.”
The question of when to stop on a four-lane highway when meeting a school bus is one that concerns many drivers.
“If you have a divided median or a turn lane, it’s a good idea to stop but you’re not required by law to stop,” Crumpler said. “On four-lane highways with no median or turn lane, you are required to stop.”
For those who break the law, penalties are stiff.
“When passing a stopped school bus, either meeting one or pulling out and passing one, there is a big fine,” Crumpler said. “It’s a five-point violation on your driver’s-license points and insurance points. It’s a mandatory court appearance and a fine determined by the judge. There’s a minimum of $130 for cost of court, and it could be as much as $50 to $100 additional fine.”
School-bus drivers are encouraged to report drivers who break the law. The Highway Patrol furnishes them with forms to fill out to report infractions.
“They should get the tag number and the make of the vehicle,” Crumpler said. “The Highway Patrol will conduct an investigation.”
This week, the Highway Patrol is promoting the safe driving-initiative Operation Stop Arm. According to a news release, more than 2,000 drivers in North Carolina violate the school bus-stop arm law each school day. Troopers in District 4, which includes Beaufort, Hyde, Washington and Tyrrell counties, are especially alert to violations occurring in the vicinity of school buses.
Traffic enforcement is the Highway Patrol’s main focus, and officers are particularly diligent when it comes to the safety of the young passengers on school buses.
“We try to have strict enforcement, especially with school buses and speed limits in school zones,” Crumpler said. “We try to stay focused on that.”