As the summer break comes to an end, students across Indiana are starting their return to school. With that return to school, the Indiana State Police would remind all motorists to be focused on traffic safety during morning and afternoon commutes.
Motorists should be prepared to experience an increased amount of school bus traffic and children walking to and from their bus stops and schools during the early morning and mid-afternoon hours. Plan your commutes accordingly to allow for extended travel time during these periods. Special attention should be given to the posted reduced School Zone speed limits, and for school buses regularly stopping to load or unload students. Children are often unpredictable and may dart out in front of traffic unexpectedly!
Indiana traffic law requires motorists to the operate in a safe and responsible manner when approaching a stopped school bus that has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended.
- When approaching a school bus from any direction, which is stopped and has its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, motorists are required to STOP, even on multiple lane highways where there is no barrier or median separating lanes of traffic.
- Motorists on a highway that is divided by a barrier, such as cable barrier, concrete wall, or grassy median, are required to stop only if they are traveling in the same direction as the school bus.
- Always be prepared to stop for a school bus and watch for children. Children are unpredictable. Not only is disregarding a school bus stop arm dangerous, but it is also a serious offense.
The Indiana State Police is committed to the safety of our children by keeping Indiana’s roadways safe through education and enforcement patrols. Please join us by doing your part to make travel on our Indiana roadways safer for all Hoosier students throughout the school year.
