‘Danger zone’ law returns August 19 affecting all rush hour drivers – the light to look for to see if you’re in it

A UNIQUE road law has been reinstated as millions of drivers are warned against entering a danger zone.

Lawmakers in South Carolina have launched a series of road laws to keep students safe – but there is a distinct difference with neighboring states.

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WCNC

School buses started bringing children to schools on August 1 across the state.

All state-wide school districts will be back in session by August 19.

Officials warn about the state’s unique school bus-passing laws as the students begin the academic year.

All drivers must stop for a school bus on a two-lane road if the bus is using its stop sign.

However, the state has different rules for four-lane roads.

Vehicles traveling in the opposite direction of a four-lane road do not need to stop for the school bus, according to Charlotte-based NBC affiliate WCNC .

The opposite-direction rule applies irrespective of the type of median between the lanes.

Drivers proceeding in the same direction as the bus must stop if they’re behind the children-carrying vehicles at all times.

The rule is different than laws imposed on drivers in neighboring North Carolina.

North Carolina state rules that all traffic, regardless of direction, must stop if they’re approaching a school bus with its stop sign in use.

Officials also said students and drivers should avoid entering a bus’s “danger zone.”

The zone is within 10 feet of the bus’s front or rear bumpers or side curtains.

Bus drivers cannot see the area directly around the bus, which slows their reaction time if there are any nearby objects.

Officials said drivers should avoid getting too close to the bus’s flashing lights.

They also advised students to tell a bus driver if they’ve dropped something in the “danger zone” instead of immediately retrieving it.

Laws on Passing a School Bus

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), it’s illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus when it is stopped, the red strobe lights are flashing, and the stop sign is deployed.

“All States require the traffic in both directions to stop on undivided highways when students are getting on or off a school bus,” the agency’s website reads.

Florida launched a program in May 2024 that will cite drivers illegally passing stopped school buses with the help of AI-powered cameras to capture footage of violators, citing an important law.

In Florida, Chapter 316 Title 19 reads:

• Any person using, operating, or driving a vehicle on or over the roads or highways of this state shall, upon approaching any school bus which displays a stop signal, bring such vehicle to a full stop while the bus is stopped, and the vehicle shall not pass the school bus until the signal has been withdrawn. A person who violates this section commits a moving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318.
• Any person using, operating, or driving a vehicle that passes a school bus on the side that children enter and exit when the school bus displays a stop signal commits a moving violation, punishable as provided in Chapter 318, and is subject to a mandatory hearing under the provisions of s. 318.19

Source: NHSTA , Florida Legislature

SCHOOL BUS STOP

Lawmakers in Georgia recently passed a school bus-passing rule that threatens drivers with a $1,000 penalty.

Georgia’s House passed Addy’s Law , a bill named after Adalynn Pierce , a girl who died after she was struck by a car when exiting the bus.

Pierce was eight years old.

The new road law quadruples the minimum fine for the infraction to $1,000.

Studies around illegal school bus crossing revealed a shocking amount of dangerous driving behavior around school children.

Studies investigating over 90,000 school bus drivers in 33 states found that about 25.8% of buses had cars pass illegally when stopped.