Keep your children safe, traffic officials warn.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has joined with multiple police departments and other partners to urge safer conditions for children going to and from school. Together, these agencies aim to raise public awareness about unsafe driving and reduce traffic violations around school buses.

The Wolf Administration announced results Oct. 19 from Operation Safe Stop, an annual school bus safety enforcement and education program.

Data from this program revealed a reduction in observed safety violations, based on school district and law enforcement records. Last year agencies reported witnessing 252 traffic violations, which dropped to 155 violations this year.

“The increase in convictions of the School Bus Stopping Law last year is just one reason why we’re reminding motorists of its importance,” said Mike Keiser, acting deputy secretary for highway administration.

“One incident of passing a school bus is one too many,” he said. “With additional challenges such as darkness coinciding with more of our students’ school bus ride times and the distraction of the quickly approaching holiday season, it is important that motorists remain vigilant while sharing the road with school buses and students.”

The state also reports that recorded convictions of drivers breaking the School Bus Stopping Law have risen from 314 in 2020 to 348 in 2021.

This law requires that drivers must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that flash their red lights and extend red “STOP” arms, regardless of whichever direction they are approaching from. The only exception to this rule would be on highways, where concrete or grassy medians separate lanes of traffic.

“Drivers must consider the penalties if convicted of disobeying Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping law steep — a $250 fine, five points on your driving record and a 60-day license suspension,” said Corporal Zeina Black, who serves as permits and bus safety unit supervisor with the state police.

“But even worse than these penalties, a tragedy could occur if either a driver or a student is not paying attention to their surroundings,” he said.

Some safety tips students can adopt when riding buses include:

• Arrive at the bus stop five minutes early, so no one will have to rush across the road to catch the bus.

• Avoid any traffic you notice while waiting for the bus.

• Stay at least five giant steps away from the road while waiting for the bus

• Never run after a bus once it leaves the bus stop.

• Never push when boarding or disembarking from a bus.

“Students’ safety at school bus stops and in school zones is of the utmost importance and requires the undivided attention of all motorists,” said Eric Hagerty, Department of Education Secretary.

“Local school districts work hard to identify the safest locations possible for school bus stops and to train their staff,” he said. “But to ensure that students remain safe, we urge all drivers to watch for the flashing lights of school buses and always stop when students are getting on or off.”

For more information, visit PennDOT’s School Bus Safety Tips page at https://www.penndot.pa.gov/TravelInPA/Safety/TrafficSafetyAndDriverTopics/Pages/School-Bus-Safety.aspx#:~:text=Wait%20until%20the%20school%20bus,distract%20your%20school%20bus%20driver. The site includes an interactive video illustrating Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law in further detail.