As a new school year approaches, Kentucky drivers will soon see reminders across the state to watch out for stopped school buses.
Billboards are going up in cities across the state warning of the danger in passing school buses that are stopped to load or unload students. The billboards feature an extended stop sign arm on the side of a school bus with the words “It’s not just a stop sign. It’s a child’s life.”
“It is paramount that our children arrive at school and back home safely each day,” said Education Commissioner Stephen Pruitt. “While stopping for a school bus might be a minor inconvenience for drivers, it could be a matter of life or death for a child."
Most school bus-related fatalities occur when a child is hit by a passing vehicle. It’s illegal in Kentucky to pass a stopped school bus in either direction on a two-lane road if the warning lights are flashing.
More than 385,000 children in the state ride school buses each day.
