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Politics & Government

Illegal Passing of School Buses

Motorists have been cited 1,700 times in the past five years for illegally passing school buses

More than 110,000 students who attend Fairfax County Public Schools are carried to school each day by approximately 1,500 buses. New York City is the only school system in the United States that transports more children to school than Fairfax. That impressive statistic should make us proud, as well as worried.

Both Fairfax County bus drivers and police officers have recently noted a rise in reckless driving. First Lieutenant Butch Gamble, who is the assistant commander of the Traffic Safety Division, commented: “Professional bus drivers with years of experience told us they’re seeing record numbers of motorists driving recklessly around buses picking up and discharging students.”

Representatives from the Fairfax County Police Department and drivers from the Fairfax County Public Schools' bus drivers were brought together to explore this concern, In seeking a solution, participants learned that motorists have been cited 1,700 times in the past five years for illegally passing school buses.

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FCPS Superintendent Jack D. Dale stated:  “For even one child to be injured because a motorist is disregarding traffic laws is inexcusable. In the past year, we have had four students hit by motorists while on their way to school. In one instance, a child was crossing the street in a crosswalk when he was hit. I urge all motorists to exercise extreme caution when driving near school buses and bus stops.”

Is this a problem in our secluded, uncongested piece of heaven known as Fairfax Station and Clifton? Yes. All along Clifton Road and other arteries such as Henderson, Wolf Run Shoals and Maple Branch, school bus drivers stop, let students on and off and hope that a car isn’t flying around a blind curve or steep hill. 

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Visualize the entrance to Plantation Hills, located at the intersection of Amkin and Clifton Roads. Heaven help the students (and the motorist) if a car speeds up the hill at that point. In an adjacent community, Glenverdant, the buses drive into the neighborhood, which has a large turn-around at the bus stop. Unfortunately, several parents and the homeowners’ association needed to buy signs and cones to warn against speeding and illegal passing.

The Fairfax County Police Department emphasizes that the penalties for passing a stopped school bus are severe. Fines and points on driving records are common consequences, but jail time is a consequence as well.

Parents are urged to talk to their children about bus safety. To learn more about school bus laws, all motorists should visit this helpful Web site:  www.fcps.edu/fts/tran/safety/stopforbus.htm

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