Cumberland Valley School District School Bus Safety Program
Stop for the Bus. It’s Pennsylvania State Law.
Cumberland Valley School District has partnered with BusPatrol to launch a school bus safety program in line with PA Motor Vehicle Code § 3345.1.
All district buses are now equipped with safety technology, including stop-arm enforcement cameras to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses. This safety initiative will curb dangerous motorist behavior and make the ride to and from school safer for all student riders.
According to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), school buses are unlawfully passed more than 43.5 million times each school year in the United States.
School Bus Safety – A Pervasive Issue Across Pennsylvania
Every day, 1.3 million students are transported by more than 21,000 school buses throughout Pennsylvania. * Reports suggest these buses are illegally passed more than two times per bus per day.
A 47-day study of two school buses in the state was conducted in 2019. Cameras recorded 205 illegal stop-arm passes or 2.18 violations per bus per day. This is far higher than the number of citations issued by state law enforcement throughout the entire 180-day school year in 2018.
In 2020, Governor Tom Wolf signed House Bill 364 (now Act 38), allowing school districts to implement violator-funded stop-arm enforcement programs to enforce school bus safety traffic laws and ensure the safety of Pennsylvania students.
*School Bus Fleet Fact Book 2020.
**Data collected from pilot programs in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Operation Safe Stop 2021
In 2021, Operation Safe Stop revealed equally alarming results. The one-day study revealed that participating school districts and law enforcement agencies reported 252 violations of the law, up from the 120 reported last year.
The initiative is held in conjunction with local and state police departments, school districts, and pupil transportation providers to conduct enforcement, raise public awareness about the consequences of improper passing of school buses, and reduce occurrences.
Read the official media announcement here: https://www.media.pa.gov/pages/penndot-details.aspx?newsid=690
What Happens If You Illegally Pass a Stopped School Bus in Cumberland Valley School District
All school buses that transport Cumberland Valley School District students are equipped with automated photo enforcement cameras on the side of school buses to capture violations and vehicle license plate numbers.
The violation is reviewed by law enforcement. Once approved, a notice of violation is sent to the registered vehicle owner by mail.
In Pennsylvania, a first-time stop-arm violation witnessed by a camera carries a fine of $300 and no license points.
Data from other safety programs demonstrates that 98% of first-time offenders do not receive a second ticket, and 95% of drivers do not contest their ticket after seeing video evidence of their violation.
When Should I Stop for a School Bus in Pennsylvania
- Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop-arm activated.
- Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus, or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
- Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop-arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
- If a physical barrier separates the roadways such as grassy medians, guide rails, or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
- Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
Click to view video of Pennsylvania Stopping Laws
Contact Information
To speak to a representative about a safety violation, contact the AlertBus Customer Contact Center at 1-800-852-7741.
The Contact Center is available Monday-Friday (8am-5pm)
English and Spanish-speaking customer service agents are available to address your inquiries.
To expedite your service, please have your citation number ready when you call.
Online Access:
To view the violation video evidence online or to pay a violation by credit card, visit www.alertbus.com and enter your citation number (example: PA-777777) and vehicle license plate number (no dashes or spaces), as listed on your citation.