ALBANY, N.Y. (WRGB) — As more school buses are equipped with cameras to catch drivers who fail to stop, new legislation aims to amend current traffic laws regarding school bus stops on divided highways.
Currently, drivers traveling in both directions on a divided highway must stop when a school bus is stopped with its red lights flashing, even if a physical barrier, such as a median, separates the lanes of opposing traffic.
A bill sponsored by Long Island State Senator Steven Rhoads (R, C) seeks to change this requirement. Under the proposed amendment to the vehicle and traffic law, drivers traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus on a divided highway with four or more lanes and a physical barrier would no longer be required to stop.
However, the requirement to stop would still apply to traffic traveling in the same direction as the school bus.
Senator Rhoads said the change would reduce hazards for drivers and, most importantly, ensure the safety of children getting on and off school buses. “One, it’s to protect drivers who are putting themselves at risk coming to a sudden stop on a 50 MPH highway when it would be unsafe to do so, they’ll get hit, and also avoid a circumstance where a child may anticipate simply because the lights are on that it’s somehow safe for them to cross in a location where they never should cross, and in fact, couldn’t cross,” said Rhoads.
The bill also specifies that school bus drivers should not instruct students to cross a divided highway as defined in the bill.
According to Education Week, New York is currently the only state in the nation that requires vehicles traveling in both directions on a multi-lane road divided by a median to stop for a stopped school bus.
CREDIT: WRGB6 NEWS J.T. Fetch
