Tipp of the Week: School Bus Safety

When to stop for a school bus in Ohio…

Hello Tipp City! Marc the Cop here,

I hope everyone survived the time change. I wouldn't say I like it. I wouldn't say I liked it when I was working midnights. Every hour of sleep was precious, and losing on either end was terrible. But now that I am retired, it’s just a mild annoyance with it getting dark so early in the evening.

I was driving north on County Road 25-A earlier this week when I saw a school bus dropping off students. It was a nice warm day, so I had my windows down. Since that section of 25-A is four lanes, the bus driver did not shut off the flashing yellow lights on the bus. One driver, who was driving a silver Buick, wisely did not pass the bus. The driver behind the silver Buick was a younger man upset that the Buick was not passing. He was waving out the window and yelling at the man in the Buick. So, I thought it was probably time to review when you can and can’t pass a school bus on the road.

The first reference to go to is www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a great resource.

When I was an officer, still working on the shift of rainbows and unicorns, also known as “dayshift,” we had several complaints over the years of people passing school buses.

I've included a graphic for reference in this week's edition. However, to make it super simple for the readers, you should not pass a bus with flashing yellow or red lights. There are a few exceptions; so please see the graphic for reference.

In many states, traffic may resume when the school bus lights are off. In Ohio, however, traffic can't commence until the bus continues moving or the school bus driver waves. The only personnel allowed to move in traffic when a school bus is stopped are peace officers and school crossing guards.

So, believe me when I say I get just as frustrated when I get behind a bus. I have to remind myself to leave a little earlier so a bus will not make me late. That’s it for this week! Please be safe, care for one another, and I’ll see you in church on Sunday!

Sgt. Marc Basye (Ret.)

The opinions and statements in this column are those of the author and are not affiliated with any law enforcement agency. This column is for entertainment purposes only. Persons referred to may be fictional for comedic purposes only.