YORK COUNTY, Pa. — With back to school just around the corner, police departments across South Central Pennsylvania are preparing to see an increase in traffic violations in school zones. Motorists should be aware of what the traffic laws are to avoid legal penalties and minimize the chance of a tragedy.
According to new data from the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, over 25,000 school zone citations were issued to PA motorists from 2018 to 2022. More than 16,000 of those citations were from speeding in a school zone, while the remainder were cited for passing a school bus during a stop.
Barbara Zortman, Director of the Center for Traffic Safety in York County says motorists should prepare to see more school buses hit the road.
“I see those enforcement reports and the citations I’m seeing are for overtaking a school bus,” Zortman said.
Speeding in a school zone or overtaking a school bus can be considered aggressive driving, regardless of a motorist’s intent. Several police departments, such as York City Police, have programs to crack down on traffic violations. The programs primarily consist of police officers monitoring school buses, ready to apprehend an aggressive driver.
“I think law enforcement would agree that there are blatant disregard for the law, and then there’s people who aren’t paying attention,” Zortman said.
Violations can get drivers into legal trouble. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, this includes a 250 dollar fine, five points on a driving license, and a 60-day license suspension. Violations can also result in tragedy.
“The best-case scenario is you get a ticket, you get your points, you lose your license for a period of time… our law enforcement officers don’t want to come to the scene of a fatality,” Zortman described.
In Nov. 2022, Northeastern Senior High School student, Arianna Landis, was killed after she was struck by a car while exiting her school bus. She was struck in October and placed into a medically induced coma before succumbing to her injuries. She was sixteen years old.
“Children are at very high risk getting on and off the bus and at the bus stop,” Zortman said.
Always being aware of one’s surroundings is the best way to keep students and other members of the community safe. One way to do this is by looking out for school zone signs, such as reduced speed limits or crossing signs.
“If a solution to that problem is education, we’ll do that, and if the solution to that problem is enforcement, we’ll do that,” Zortman told FOX43.