School Zone Safety Laws with The Ohio State Highway Patrol

ZANESVILLE, OH — The new school year is here and that means getting your child to school safely.

Sergeant Thomas Davis of the Ohio State Highway Patrol talked about the two main laws Ohio motorists should be aware of.

“The 45-11-75, which is the law for passing a stopped school bus.” Sergeant Davis said. “The other is school speed zones. “

Davis explained that if a road is less than four lanes, all traffic approaching a stopped bus must stop at least 10 feet from the front or back of the bus. Drivers must also remain stopped until the bus moves or driver signals to other motorists to proceed.

If a bus is on a four lane or more highway, only the traffic following the direction of the bus must stop. Again, drivers must remain stopped until the bus moves or the driver signals to other motorists to proceed.

The wait for a stopped school bus may seem to take a while some mornings. But according to Ohio law, the bus driver must wait to resume its traveling until all exiting passengers are at a safe enough distance away from the bus.

Failure to comply with Ohio’s school bus traffic laws could mean up to a $500 fine and 2 points added to your license. You must also appear before a judge in court where your license could be suspended for up to one year if you pass a stopped school bus.

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, since 2018 there have been 6,089 crashes involving school buses. 1,847 people were injured as a result of these crashes and 7 were killed. None of the 7 that died were on the school bus.

Also since 2018, OSHP has written over 16,000 citations to people who passed a school or committed another school zone violation.

For more information about Ohio School Zone laws you can go to the OSHP’s website.