Will County Gazette

As National School Bus Safety Week is recognized nationwide, the Park Forest Police Department is urging drivers to observe school bus safety laws to protect children boarding and exiting buses.

In Illinois, state law requires all vehicles in both directions to stop when a school bus displays red flashing lights and extends its stop arm, unless the road is separated by a physical barrier. Drivers must remain stopped until the bus moves again or the driver signals it is safe to proceed.

“Too often, violations of stop-arm rules put our youngest citizens at risk,” said Park Forest Deputy Police Chief Kristopher Vallow. “Our goal is to prevent tragedies. Officers will focus on school bus safety this week, but we encourage drivers to remain vigilant every day of the year.”

The Illinois Department of Transportation’s 2023 Crash Facts & Statistics Report states that there were 1,026 crashes involving school buses in Illinois last year. No school-aged passengers died in these incidents, but 78 students and 40 bus drivers sustained injuries.

On a national level, the National Safety Council reports that from 2014 to 2023, there were 971 fatal crashes related to school buses across the United States, leading to 1,079 deaths—averaging about 108 per year. Most fatalities involved people in other vehicles rather than those riding on school buses.

Estimates from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services suggest that approximately 40 million illegal "stop-arm" violations occur each year in the United States.

“Beyond obeying the law, drivers should always stay alert for children walking near buses and bus stops,” Vallow added. “A few extra seconds of patience can save a life.”

Residents are encouraged by police officials to discuss bus safety with their families and treat yellow flashing lights as a warning while considering red flashing lights and an extended stop arm as an unmistakable signal to stop.