Now that school is back in session, motorists are reminded that there are strict rules involving passing school buses.

Perry Police Chief Eric Vaughn says it’s illegal to pass buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arms out. He adds, it’s also not worth it to try and pass one with its yellow lights going. “Just be mindful when you see that school bus, if those yellow lights start to flash, that means you need to slow down and be prepared to stop. If you’re meeting and approaching a school bus, those lights start flashing it means slow down. It’s kind of like approaching a yellow light at an intersection, it means slow down and get ready to stop, because that stop arm is going to be coming out very soon.”

If people do pass a school bus when its lights are flashing, Vaughn warns it’s very unlikely they’ll get away with the offense. “If you do violate those, the school bus drivers fill out violations. They have videos on those which they give us also, and they capture license plates, sometimes the person’s ID. And we go out and investigate those. (There’s) up to $250 fine for that first offense, and you could lose your license up to 30 days, too. So (it’s) something to be very mindful of.”

Vaughn emphasizes, the rules for passing school buses are in place to protect children, and it’s not worth it to get where you’re going quicker if it means putting them in danger. For more back to school safety tips, click the link below to listen to the Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Vaughn.

https://raccoonvalleyradio.com/2018/08/lets-talk-dallas-county-8222018-eric-vaughn/