With the start of school the Pine Creek Township Police Department would like to remind residents of the traffic laws for school buses.

Residents, please do your part to keep our students safe. If you are ever uncertain what to do when you see flashing yellow or red light, it is best to safely apply your brakes.

In Pennsylvania, it is illegal to pass a school bus when its red lights are flashing and stop arm is extended. Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended. Offenders will face a $250 fine, 5 points on their driving record, and a 60-day license suspension.

When a motorist encounters a school bus with it's amber/yellow lights activated, they may proceed with caution but should be prepared to stop.  This is not a time to accelerate in an effort to pass the bus before the red lights come on.  When the bus has it's amber lights activated, it is approaching a bus stop where there are likely children present.  Caution must be used.

When a motorist encounters a school bus with it's red lights activated, they must stop unless the lane they are in is physically divided with a barrier from the lane that the bus is stopped in. 

The most misunderstood portion of this law involves intersections.  If the school bus is stopped at an intersection, traffic on all intersecting roads must stop.  If the bus is stopped just prior to the intersection, you may not pull through the intersection while the bus has their red lights activated regardless of where the children are.  This includes turning right in front of the bus.  Note, the bus will not physically block the intersection in most cases because the bus stop is not in the middle of the intersection.  You must stop and wait for the bus to deactivate their red lights. (SEE HERE)

Please visit the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s webpage regarding School Bus Safety.