Virginia State Police reminds residents of safe driving with more school buses on the road

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A number of school districts across Central Virginia are preparing for the big first day back to school for the 2024-2025 school year. With this in mind, Virginia State Police is reminding drivers to be on the lookout for more school buses on the road.

State police say that it’s important for drivers and other travelers to start thinking about back-to-school safety before the new school starts.

“We’d like to remind people that if you pass a school bus on the right, that it is a reckless driving charge here in the state of Virginia, when the bus comes to a stop, you need to be stopped as well,” said Sergeant Jessica Shehan with Virginia State Police.

Shehan says the department will be reminding drivers that they can expect to see a change in the flow of traffic when school starts again later in August.

Shehan says drivers can often overlook school buses since they’re not used to seeing them during the summer and then must adjust when the school year begins; it is for that reason that Shehan and other state police officers like her are on the lookout for drivers who aren’t following the rules.

“So, we’re out there actively looking, especially during the morning hours and the afternoon hours when people are on their way home, making sure that people are doing what they’re supposed to do with those school buses,” Shehan said.

According to data provided to 8News by the Virginia State Police, 157 children under the age 15 were injured in school bus crashes so far during the 2023-2024 calendar year.

Shehan says that number should be zero.

“It’s heartbreaking. Any time something like that happens, especially when someone’s just trying, a small one is just trying to go to school,” Shehan said. “And it could have been prevented. Pretty much all bus crashes can be prevented because someone just needs to slow down and pay attention to what’s going on around them.”

Shehan says the consequences of not adhering to these laws can be severe. The charge of reckless driving can come with a fee as high as $2,500 and even potential jail time.

“So, they have heavier fines and consequences associated with them. The reason we do that with this specific law is because it is so dangerous. We want to keep our children safe in the state of Virginia,” Shehan said.

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