Motorists Beware: Yellow Limousines Return to Local Roads in Force Sept. 6

Nothing heralds the start of a new school year quite like the return of hundreds of bright yellow buses to local roads.

This year, the Chippewa Valley school district alone will put 83 of its 101 buses on the roads, transporting an estimated 9,300 children along 458 routes every day. This works out to roughly about 18,600 rides per day, courtesy of 89 drivers.

Of the 83 buses on the road, 23 are brand-new to the district this year. In April, the Chippewa Valley Board of Education for the purchase of 23 new Thomas Built school buses. 

The new buses, many with larger seating capacities and rear wheelchair lifts, replace older models auctioned off at the end of the 2010-11 school year.

School starts for all grade levels on Sept. 6. Route numbers and times are subject to change, so be sure to check Chippewa Valley's 2011-12 bus stop schedule. 

For motorists who may have gotten used to bus-free streets these last few months, the Michigan Association of Pupil Transportation reminds that state law requires drivers to stop at least 20 feet from the front or rear of a school bus when red lights are flashing and not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or until signaled by the school bus driver to proceed.

Motorists who fail to heed traffic laws pertaining to school buses will face higher fines and stiffer penalties under recently passed legislation in Michigan, according to a transportation safety group.

Under the 2011 Public Act 60, effective July 1, more expensive tickets and even misdemeanor charges in certain cases will be issued for moving violations in school bus zones. The act calls for similar penalties as motorists who violate traffic laws in road construction work zones and emergency scenes. It is meant to keep schoolchildren safe as they head to and from their bus stops and schools, starting next week.

"The safety of our students is our No. 1 priority," said Gary T. Bubar, Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation executive director, in a prepared statement. "The best way that drivers can help protect our children is to stop when they see flashing red lights on a school bus."

The nonprofit group dedicated to transportation safety cites a 2011 survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services to remind motorists to take extra caution while school buses are on the road.

In the survey conducted during one day in 28 states, an estimated 76,000 vehicles illegally passed a school bus. In Michigan, 8,500 school buses participated in the survey and 1,771 vehicles illegally passed the buses, resulting in 936 incidents, according to MAPT.

To learn more about the penalties for violating traffic laws in regards to school buses and school zones in Michigan, click here.