SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — To combat the recent increase in drivers not stopping for school buses, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office will be assigning patrol deputies to ride on every school bus in Coventry Township and in the City of Green to arrest any violators who don’t abide by state laws, according to a post by the sheriff's office.
During a safety meeting last week with school board officials, school bus drivers reported that in a single day, there were as many as 28 drivers in Green and Coventry Township who violated laws when it comes to passing a stopped school bus.
“Surely with those kinds of numbers, it is only a matter of time before one of those drivers injures a child,” the sheriff’s office said in the Facebook post.
Deputies said most violations are committed where there are multiple lanes of traffic, particularly where there are three lanes going in the same direction.
Here's a quick reminder of Ohio's law regarding passing a school bus that is stopped.
- If a bus is stopped on a street that has fewer than four lanes, all traffic proceeding in either direction must stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of the bus.
- If a bus is stopped on a street that has four or more lanes, only traffic proceeding in the same direction must stop at least 10 feet from the front or rear of the bus.
- Drivers must stop until the school bus resumes motion or until signaled by the bus driver to proceed.
