DRIVERS in Ohio could soon be slapped with fines up to $2,000 as the new school year approaches, and they don’t even need to be pulled over to get hit.
Drivers caught ignoring flashing lights and stop signs on school buses could face steep penalties thanks to new camera enforcement under a new bill.
Ohio drivers could soon face fines up to $2,000 for illegally passing stopped school buses (stock image)[/caption]
Known as the “lane and lights” law, it was approved unanimously by lawmakers in the Ohio House on Wednesday.
The proposal would hike the current fine from $0 up to $500 to a new minimum of $250, with a top penalty of $1,000, Ohio Capital Journal reported.
Repeat violators may have their licenses suspended, be required to take safety courses, and face a maximum fine of $2,000.
The bill also allows school buses to be equipped with cameras to catch offenders, a move sponsors say will help document dangerous driving that is going unnoticed.
The footage can be reviewed later by drivers and used to file incident reports under existing law.
Current Ohio law doesn’t clearly allow or ban cameras on buses, which has kept many districts from using them.
State Representative Bernie Willis, Republican-Springfield, and Cecil Thomas, Democrat-Cincinnati, introduced House Bill 3, officially titled the School Bus Safety Act.
It now heads to the Ohio Senate for consideration.
“We’re missing probably thousands and thousands of illegal passages that are happening because we are not utilizing things that could work,” Willis said.
In 2021, Ohio’s Department of Public Safety reported that more than 14,000 citations were issued in four years for passing stopped buses.
“These dangerous incidents are placing children’s lives at risk,” said Paul Imhoff, a representative from the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.
The legislation is part of a larger push to improve bus safety following several high-profile incidents.
Governor Mike DeWine formed the Ohio School Bus Safety Working Group last year after a crash killed Aiden Clark, a young student from Northwestern Local Schools.
The panel made 17 recommendations, but requiring seat belts wasn’t one of them.
Ohio Bus Safety Law
- New fines: $250–$1,000 for first-time offenders
- Repeat offenses: Up to $2,000, license suspension, mandatory safety course
- Camera use: Buses can now be equipped with cameras to catch violators
- Current law: Doesn’t clearly permit or prohibit cameras
- Seat belts: Not required in Ohio, optional on buses over 10,000 pounds
- States that mandate belts: NY, NJ, AR, CA, FL, LA, NV, TX
- Citations issued (2017–2021): Over 14,000 in Ohio
- National fatalities (2013–2022): 1,082 in school transport-related crashes
As it stands, Ohio doesn’t mandate seat belts on school buses over 10,000 pounds.
Still, 63% of Ohio school districts have at least one large bus with seat belts, according to the state education department.
Only eight states, New York, New Jersey, Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, and Texas, require seat belts on school buses.
The National Transportation Safety Board has long urged states to require over-the-shoulder and lap belts for all passengers.
Between 2013 and 2022, nearly 1,100 people were killed in school transportation-related crashes across the US, federal data shows.
“This is one of those bills that I believe is going to be transformational,” Willis said.
Thomas added, “Thousands of students in Ohio ride school buses and too many are put at risk by drivers who illegally pass stopped buses.”
Meanwhile, a separate bill in the Ohio Senate, Senate Bill 62, also seeks to address the problem.
That proposal, introduced by Senator Theresa Gavarone, Republican- Bowling Green, would create a $300 civil penalty for violators.
It has already had three hearings this year.
The proposed law allows school buses to use cameras to catch violators (stock image)[/caption]
