Protect Kids This Back-to-School Season: Stop Means STOP 🛑🚸

Back-to-school season is a time of excitement and new beginnings—but it also brings serious safety concerns on our roads. Each year, children are injured or even killed during school bus pickup and drop-off, and nearly all of these tragedies are preventable. It’s time for all of us to do our part to protect kids where they’re most vulnerable: in school zones and around school buses.

Why School Zone Crashes Keep Happening

When the school year begins, pedestrian traffic surges. Young students, often unpredictable and easily distracted, flood crosswalks and curbs. Crashes continue because drivers are rushed, distracted, or unsure about the rules. One of the biggest risks? Misreading (or ignoring) the school bus stop arm.

Here are 3 easy steps to remember and follow:

🚫 No distractions
🚫 No rushing
✅ Know the rules

Pennsylvania’s School Bus Law

In Pennsylvania, school buses transport about 1.3 million students daily on more than 21,000 buses. The system is safe when drivers follow the law. Unfortunately, studies suggest buses are illegally passed more than twice per bus, per day.

Here’s the rule:

• If a school bus has red lights flashing and the stop arm extended, you must stop—no matter which direction you’re coming from—unless you’re on a physically divided highway.
• Remain stopped until the red lights stop flashing and the stop arm retracts.
• Ignoring this law can result in a 60-day license suspension.

🔴 Red Lights + Stop Arm = You STOP. (Unless there’s a physical median/barrier.)

Common Driver Mistakes That Put Kids at Risk

Everyday shortcuts or bad habits can become deadly near schools:

• Rolling through stop signs or speeding in school zones
• Failing to stop for a bus with its stop arm out
• Turning without checking for children in crosswalks or at curbs

Slow down. Stop completely. Always look for kids.

What Actually Helps

Protecting kids doesn’t take much—it’s about small, intentional choices:

• Make school zones “no-phone zones.”
• Reduce speed and increase awareness near schools, even outside normal hours.
• Treat every residential intersection like a crossing.
• Model safe behavior: complete stops, eye contact with crossing guards, and never passing a stopped bus.
• Teach children safe habits, but remember—it’s adults who carry the greater responsibility.

Remember:

✅ No phone in school zones
✅ Full stop, every time
✅ Eyes up for kids at curbs
✅ Never pass a stopped bus

Safety Tips for Parents & Students

Parents can set the tone for safe school routines:

• Arrive early to avoid rushing.
• Drop off and pick up only at designated zones.
• Teach kids to wait until the bus fully stops, make eye contact with the driver, and use handrails.
• Remind walkers to stop at the curb, look left-right-left, and avoid phones and headphones when crossing.

Heads up. Ears open. Phones down.

If the Worst Happens

If a child is injured on or near school transportation, families don’t have to face it alone. At Marcus & Mack, we:

• Provide legal guidance after school-zone or school-bus incidents,
• Educate communities on safety laws, and
• Support families when insurance becomes complicated.

Stop Means STOP

Don’t let one distracted moment turn into a lifetime of regret. This back-to-school season, commit to slowing down, stopping for the bus, and staying alert in every school zone.

Phones down. Eyes up. Drive like every child is yours.

Marcus & Mack is committed to keeping Pennsylvania’s kids safe.

📞 Call 1-800-HURTLINE
🌐 www.marcusandmack.com

About Marcus & Mack

Marcus & Mack is a respected personal injury law firm serving Central and Western Pennsylvania for more than 40 years. With over 100 years of combined legal experience, their attorneys are dedicated to vigorously advocating for victims injured by negligence.

Focusing exclusively on personal injury law, including motor vehicle accidents, trucking collisions, and other catastrophic personal injury claims, they’ve successfully helped thousands of Pennsylvanians secure the compensation and peace of mind they deserve.

Marcus & Mack remains deeply committed to community safety initiatives, believing that proactive education can save lives and build stronger, safer communities.

For more information or to schedule a free consultation, call (814) 788-4620 or visit MarcusAndMack.com.