HARRISBURG, PA — On Thursday, October 22, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law Senate Bill 65, a piece of legislation sponsored by Senator Lisa Baker to improve school bus safety for children. 

According to a memo circulated by Baker, "School bus safety remains an important issue. Too often, we take for granted the safe transport of our children," she said.

"Annually, the Department of Transportation conducts its school bus education and enforcement program, called Operation Safe Stop. This year’s exercise, performed in late October, found police officers and bus drivers in 22 school districts reporting 131 violations in a single day. This is an incredible number from less than 5% of all districts on just one day from the 180-day school calendar," she said. 

"Current state law for meeting or overtaking a school bus outlines the duties of an approaching driver when red signals are flashing and when amber signals are flashing. Upon conviction for overtaking a school bus when red signals are flashing, a driver will face a penalty of a $250 fine, 5 points on the driving record, and a 60-day driver’s license suspension. Despite these penalties, recent data finds about 1,000 drivers each year are convicted of passing a stopped school bus with signals flashing. Many more citations are issued and work their way through the judicial system without resulting in a conviction. And, anecdotally, we know even more violations occur that do not result in a written citation due to uncaptured vehicle information of the violator," she said. 

"This legislation will extend the stopping distance requirement from 10 feet to 15 feet before reaching the bus when the red signal lights are flashing and the side stop arm is activated. Further, it develops a tiered penalty system for a second or subsequent offense. Current law does not penalize repeat offenders with a graduated penalty system," she said. 

"By enhancing financial penalties and generally making the loading and unloading of students safer, our common goal of safely transporting children to and from school is better met. While our vehicles are manufactured with more safety features, working to ensure the operators of these vehicles behave responsibly is the duty of us all. These changes are designed to enhance the safety of child passengers, bus drivers and all motorists," she said.