THIS WEEK, OCTOBER 21ST THROUGH OCTOBER 25TH , IS NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK. THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL WANTS TO REMIND MOTORISTS TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION AND EXERCISE CAUTION WHEN THEY SEE A STOPPED SCHOOL BUS. STUDIES SHOW THAT GETTING ON AND OFF THE BUS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE RIDE FOR THE MORE THAN 1 MILLION STUDENTS ON A SCHOOL BUS EVERY DAY. IN CALIFORNIA, YELLOW FLASHING LIGHTS ON A SCHOOL BUS TELL MOTORISTS THEY NEED TO SLOW DOWN AND PREPARE TO STOP. RED FLASHING LIGHTS AND THE EXTENDED STOP ARM MEAN THAT A DRIVER MUST STOP AND CANNOT PASS THE BUS UNTIL THE LIGHTS ARE TURNED OFF. TICKETS FOR ILLEGALLY PASSING A SCHOOL BUS CAN COST UPWARDS OF 1000 DOLLARS AND MULTIPLE OFFENSES MAY LEAD TO DRIVER’S LICENSE SUSPENSION FOR UP TO ONE YEAR.
