What are the rules for driving near school buses? Good Question
MINNEAPOLIS -- School is officially back in session, but even if you graduated long ago, or your kids have grown up, or you don't have kids, there are some back-to-school safety tips we all should know about.
From speed limits in school zones, to stopping for buses, the time has come to brush up on what are the back-to-school driving rules.
"Do I remember the bus part I took of a test 20 years ago? No," St. Paul's Adam Pechman admitted.
Randy Harr heads up transportation for Eden Prairie schools. He explained how far away cars need to be from a bus.
"Twenty feet, two car lengths," he said, and that goes for both directions unless "there is a barrier in between, like a divided highway. Then the car does not have to stop."
He says bus safety isn't just the responsibility of the bus drivers, but ours as well.
"We go through evacuation procedures and what they are doing when they are on and off the bus. But we would want drivers to be extra cautious," he said.
He says the first thing drivers should look out for are those amber lights by the school bus sign. They are a signal that in just a few seconds the school will be stopping.
And remember to slow down in school zones. A violation will cost you from $155 to $375 in Minnesota.
Minneapolis resident Jaguar Deschel, a father to an 11-year-old, says, "I think that now since school is starting back up, drivers should pay extra attention to the traffic law because they are not the only ones at risk."
The speed for school zones varies from town to town, but the slowest would be 15 mph.
The fine for not stopping for a school bus with flashing lights and a stop arm is $500. Penalties are more severe if kids are in danger at the time of the violation.
Click here for more back-to-school driving info from Eden Prairie Police Department.