As an additional step to keep our students safe and proactively combat reckless driving behavior around school buses, Hatboro-Horsham School District has partnered with Bus Patrol and local law enforcement to launch a new School Bus Safety Program in line with Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Code § 3345.

All school buses that transport Hatboro-Horsham students are now outfitted with photo enforcement cameras to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses when the stop sign is deployed and red lights are flashing. Each incident is reviewed by law enforcement before a violation notice is issued.

The alarming statistics speak for themselves: nationwide, school buses are illegally passed an estimated 43.5 million times each year. In Pennsylvania alone, authorities reported nearly 200 violations in a single school day during Operation Safe Stop 2023. We've seen similar concerning behavior in our own community, with several close calls reported by our bus drivers within the last year.

The program will go live on June 1, 2025, and is in effect year-round. As a reminder, Pennsylvania law requires motorists to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses with red lights flashing and the stop-arm extended. The civil penalty for each violation is $300.

This recommendation emerged from the District's Safe Schools committee and was made in conjunction with the Hatboro and Horsham Township Police Departments.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation offers more information on their website regarding School Bus Stopping Laws, personal driver responsibilities, and penalties for violation of these laws. You may also click here for an informational graphic from PennDOT.