A driver waiting behind a stopped school bus in Pennsylvania apparently decided the road was no longer the fastest way forward. Video shows the vehicle climbing onto the sidewalk and driving around the bus while its red lights flashed and its stop arm remained extended.
The Sept. 16 encounter happened around 6:30 a.m. on West Second Street in Bridgeport, according to 6abc Philadelphia.
A Jeep and another vehicle can be seen waiting behind the bus before one of the drivers leaves the roadway, crosses onto the sidewalk and continues past it.
The footage surfaced as Bridgeport begins using cameras on school buses to catch drivers who pass while children are being picked up or dropped off.
Off The Road
The video shows the bus stopped along the street with its warning equipment activated. After several seconds behind it, one vehicle moves to the right, mounts the sidewalk and passes the bus there instead.
Bridgeport resident Deb Brooks told 6abc the maneuver was especially troubling because young children may not anticipate a vehicle coming down the sidewalk.
“They’re not taking into account we’re dealing with small kids who don’t know to look for cars,” Brooks said.
Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law requires motorists to stop at least 10 feet from a bus when its red lights are flashing and its stop arm is activated. Drivers must remain stopped until the lights have stopped flashing, the arm has been withdrawn and children have reached a safe location, according to PennDOT.
The rule applies to vehicles behind the bus as well as motorists approaching from the opposite direction or an intersection, except in certain situations where opposing traffic is separated by a physical barrier.
Eleven Already
The sidewalk maneuver was not the only violation detected during Bridgeport’s new enforcement effort.
6abc reported that police said cameras had been installed on the buses about two weeks before its Sept. 25 report. In that short period, the cameras had already captured 11 drivers going around stopped school buses.
Bridgeport Police Chief Todd J. Bereda told the station that the number caught so quickly was unexpected.
“It’s disappointing that so many people are that reckless,” Bereda said.
Pennsylvania permits school entities to use automated side stop-arm cameras to enforce the stopping law. After camera evidence is reviewed, a violation can result in a $300 civil fine to the vehicle owner. PennDOT says those automated violations do not add points to a driving record or trigger a license suspension.
A different set of penalties applies when police issue a citation directly for illegally passing a stopped school bus: a conviction can bring a $250 fine plus a surcharge, five points and a 60-day license suspension.
6abc reported that police were monitoring the Bridgeport area as students left buses while the department continued publicizing the new camera program.