Bill Spadea’s Back to School Tip: Make Sure You Stop for School Buses

School buses are the safest way to transport kids, but they need you help to keep in that way.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, kids are 70 times more likely to get to school safely taking the bus as opposed to a car. This is good news for sure and should put parents' minds at ease despite some of the terrible accidents we’ve heard about over the past couple years.

One of the reasons is that school bus safety is highly regulated and we continue to improve year after year. I’ve decided to help by teaming up with our friends at Plymouth Rock’s Teachers Insurance of NJ to remind drivers of the need to stop when a school bus is flashing lights and the side stop sign swings out.

Just stop. It’s a simple, but incredibly effective reminder, which literally saves lives.

The only exception to the stop rule is if you are on a divided highway and the bus is stopped in the opposite lane. But to be sure there isn’t a kid running for the bus not paying attention to traffic, slow down any time you’re close to a stopped bus.

And just so you know how serious NJ is about bus safety, when it comes to kids getting on or off the bus, there’s a $250 fine to remind drivers. You could even serve up to 15 days in jail!

Help keep our kids safe and reduce the number of injuries and deaths to zero this school year. Pay attention to the school buses!​