School Bus Safety Week is drawing to a close.
Today is the last day of the #StopOnRed themed, educational campaign. STEO’s acting GM and CAO Janet Murray says this week has been great because both the Upper Canada District School Board and Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario are very engaged. She praised them for taking every opportunity to thank school bus drivers with things like colouring contests and certificates of thanks.
Murray notes that school bus drivers bookend a student’s school day and they are often underappreciated or forgotten about.
The OPP says the penalty for failing to stop for a school bus, with its lights flashing and stop sign extended, is six demerit points and a fine of between $400 and $2000. They add that vehicle owners can be charged for illegally passing a school bus, even if they weren’t driving at the time.
Murray added that stopping for school buses may slow your day slightly, but it’s worth it to keep children safe.