New law requires drivers to stop for buses in both directions on most roads

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COVINGTON, Ky. (WXIX) - A new Kentucky law is changing when drivers must stop for school buses, and Covington police are warning that violations carry fines of up to $1,000.

Under House Bill 7, drivers must stop for a school bus with its stop arm extended and red lights flashing when approaching from either direction on all roads.

There is one exception, though.

Drivers traveling in the opposite direction on a road with four or more lanes are not required to stop if the roadway is divided by an elevated barrier or an unpaved median.

“The new law seeks to expand the amount of times the drivers have to stop when a school bus stops,” said Covington Police Lt. Justin Bradbury. “Most important thing that drivers need to remember is that if there is a divider — like a raised divider, or a median between the lanes — then they do not have to stop if they are in oncoming traffic for a bus lane.”

Bradbury said the law will have a direct impact on roads that lack that type of separation.

“It will have an impact on Dixie Highway, obviously because there is no raised barrier, there is no median — people are going to have to stop in oncoming traffic if the bus stops to let off a child,” Bradbury said.

The city of Alexandria also warned that the exception will affect traffic on US-27 due to the lack of a raised barrier or grass median in most areas.

H.B. 7 also allows school districts to use stop-arm camera monitoring systems on buses. When a driver is caught illegally passing a stopped bus, a civil penalty can be enforced.

The bill permits districts to contract with private vendors or manufacturers to install, operate, and maintain those camera systems on district buses.

“We have a lot of kids out there getting on and off the bus every day, and the most important thing we can do is make sure that when they do so they are safe,” Bradbury said.

Covington police said illegally passing a stopped school or church bus carries fines of $200 to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for repeat offenses within three years.

“What we think is important for people to think about is a few seconds of waiting for a child to get on and off the bus is better than a lifetime of tragedy,” Bradbury said.

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