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Maryland Drivers Reminded To Stop When School Bus Stops Amid National Bus Safety Week

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — It's National Bus Safety Week in Maryland, and state agencies are teaming up to remind drivers to stop when a school bus stops.

The week goes from Monday to October 25, in an effort to push the movement that already has Maryland drivers obeying the law and stopping for school bus arms than in previous years, according to a Maryland State Department of Education survey.

"More than 641,000 of our students ride school buses in Maryland," said Governor Larry Hogan. "As community members, we must work together to ensure our children are safe getting to and from school. I encourage our residents and visitors to our state to pay attention when driving, especially in school zones and school bus stops, and to stop when the bus stops."

Maryland state law states that if a school vehicle is stopped on a road and is operating the alternately flashing red lights, the driver of any vehicle following or approaching the school bus must stop at least 20 feet from the front or back of the school vehicle.

Failure to stop for the bus can result in up to a $500 fine, three points on a driver's license and increased insurance rates.

Last spring, 3,194 violations were recorded by bus drivers across Maryland according to a survey by MSDE, compared to 3,812 observed violations in 2018 and 3,384 in 2017.

Last year's drop followed several years of increased reported violations, and show a significant decrease from the 7,011 recorded violations when the survey began in 2011. 

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