School bus safety laws emphasized as students return to classrooms

school bus safety stop arm violations traffic laws student transportation driver safety

As students return to school, authorities in several U.S. states are highlighting the dangers of illegal school bus passing. In Washington, 2026 survey data from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services indicates that drivers documented nearly 1,000 illegal passes in a single day. If this trend continues throughout the school year, it could result in over 172,000 violations in the state.

Washington law mandates specific stopping protocols based on road types. On two-lane roads without medians, traffic in both directions must stop. On roads with three or more lanes, only traffic following the bus must stop, while oncoming traffic should proceed with caution. Violators in Washington face a non-reducible $500 fine.

In Minnesota, the State Patrol utilizes cameras on over 8,000 buses to capture license plates and images of drivers committing stop-arm violations. In 2025, the state issued more than 2,000 such citations. Officials noted that passing a bus with children present can escalate a misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor offense.

Entities

First Student · Minnesota State Patrol · National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services · Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction · Pennsylvania Department of Transportation · Washington state

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 3 SOURCES] In 2026, 101,334 school bus drivers from 40 states participated in an annual survey regarding illegal passing. www.shorelineareanews.com · www.federalwaymirror.com · www.issaquahreporter.com
[● 3 SOURCES] On a two-lane road without a median, drivers in both directions must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights. www.shorelineareanews.com · www.federalwaymirror.com · www.issaquahreporter.com
[● 3 SOURCES] On roads with three or more lanes, drivers in the opposite direction of the bus may proceed with caution if a median is present. www.shorelineareanews.com · www.federalwaymirror.com · www.issaquahreporter.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Nationwide, participating school bus drivers recorded 56,024 instances of being illegally passed in one day. www.shorelineareanews.com
[● 3 SOURCES] Washington school bus drivers documented 960 illegal passes during a single day of the 2026 survey. www.shorelineareanews.com · www.federalwaymirror.com · www.issaquahreporter.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] Passing a school bus when children are present is classified as a gross misdemeanor in Minnesota. www.kaaltv.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Drivers in Washington face a $500 fine for illegally passing a school bus, which cannot be waived or reduced. www.federalwaymirror.com · www.issaquahreporter.com
[○ 1 SOURCE] In 2025, the Minnesota State Patrol issued over 2,000 stop-arm violation citations. www.kaaltv.com