Attention Florida drivers: School bus safety laws to remember as students go back to school

ORLANDO, Fla. - Back to school is upon us – and with that brings a slew of reminders from local law enforcement agencies on school bus safety. 

With some Central Florida school districts returning to the classroom as early as next week, it's important to keep in mind the following school bus safety laws to keep students and drivers safe on the road. 

"Motorists should always be alert and drive with caution around school buses and in school zones where children may be present like schools, bus stops, school buses and school parking lots," the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said on its website. "Parents should also go over safety tips with their children to make sure they are safe on and around school buses and school zones."

When do you stop for school buses?

Here's a list of instances, per the Marion County Sheriff's Office, where you must stop for a school bus on the road: 

• If you are on a two-lane road
• If you are on a multi-lane road
• If you are on a multi-lane road with a left-turning lane

If you're on a divided highway (with a raised median or physical barrier), the cars traveling in the same direction as the school bus must stop. Vehicles traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop, but should proceed with caution. 

All drivers must remain stopped until the road is clear of children and the school bus stop arm is withdrawn, according to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. 

Photo: Marion County Sheriff's Office

Other school bus, traffic safety tips

Here's a few other tips from FLHSMV: 

• Pay attention to lower speed limits in school zones and obey them
• Watch for and obey signals from school crossing guards
• Only drive in or park in authorized pick-up and drop-off areas at schools
• At bus stops, students should wait in a safe place away from the road and should never sit in the road

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New school bus safety law could cost you up to $255

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that went into effect July 1 that allows school districts to install exterior cameras on buses to "document drivers illegally passing the bus" when displaying a stop sign. 

Drivers caught on camera could be fined $255. Districts will be required to place a sign that reads "CAMERA ENFORCED" on every bus if they install an exterior camera. They'll also need to participate in a 30-day campaign to let the public know what's going on. 

School districts are required to work with a local law enforcement agency to enforce these violations by "submit specific information" about each infraction, including a copy of the recorded image, the license plate number and date, time and place of the alleged violation, according to the bill.

As far as the penalty goes, drivers found in violation of SB 766 will be required to pay $200 to the school district where the violation occurred — which must be used "to install or maintain school bus infraction detection systems, for the administration and costs associated with enforcement of the violations, or for any other technology that increases the safety of the transportation of students" — and $25 that will be distributed to the Department of Health’s Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund for payment to trauma centers, according to the bill. 

As of January 1, 2021, drivers who fail to stop for a school bus could face a penalty of $200.