It's against Illinois law to pass a stopped school bus: Why are so many drivers doing it?

Driving around a school bus is illegal when its stop sign arm is out and the red lights are flashing.

Photo byArturVerkhovetskiy/Depositphotos.com

I have noticed it lately in my suburban Chicago neighborhood. A school bus will be stopped with red lights flashing and the stop sign arm out. Children will be boarding.

Then a car rushes up from either behind the bus or in the other lane. Rather than stopping and waiting, the car passes the bus.

The illegal passing of school buses is at an "epidemic level"

It's not just what I've witnessed in Chicagoland. Nationwide, motorists are passing stopped school buses at an alarming rate.

A survey from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services taken this fall found, "throughout a 180-day school year, these sample results point to more than 41.8 million violations per year among America’s motoring public.”

Pat McManamon, president of NASDPTS and a highway safety specialist with the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, said to School Transportation News that the illegal passing of school buses has reached an "epidemic level."

McManamon added, "This is simply unacceptable. Motorists must understand the rules of the road and must follow them every single day.”

What are the penalties in Illinois for passing a stopped school bus?

In Illinois, it is illegal for a driver to pass a school bus with its stop sign arm out and red lights flashing from either direction of traffic.

Here is a link to the Illinois law.

According to the law, if you receive a ticket for this violation, you must appear in court.

If you get convicted the first time:

• Your license will be automatically suspended for three months.
• You will be charged a minimum $300 fine plus court costs.

A second conviction can result in:

• License suspended for one year.
• $1,000 fine plus court costs.

What about four-lane streets?

If you are driving in a four-lane street in one of the two lanes going in the opposite direction of the school bus, you don't have to stop. If you're traveling in the two lanes going in the same direction, you will need to stop.

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