With the second semester of public school now underway, Fayette County is reminding drivers to obey traffic safety laws regarding school buses.
The county says during a September-December 2019 survey, its bus drivers “reported nearly 200 vehicles illegally passing their buses while they were loading/unloading students,” even while the buses’ red lights were flashing and the lighted stop arm was extended. A third of those violations occurred in north Fayette, mostly along Ga. Hwy. 92, and another third in Peachtree City, most often in the morning. State law requires that motorists stop in both directions when a bus is loading or unloading children, unless the road is divided by a median. Fines range from $300 to $1,000 plus related court costs and surcharges.
Because nearly half of all Fayette students ride buses, the school system has posted a video describing bus-related laws at www.fcboe.org, under the Departments and Transportation tabs in the “Info for Motorists” link.
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