Nature of Incident: School Bus Safety, Loading and Unloading Children.
Location: City of Moorpark
Date & Time: November 07, 2018
Unit(s) Responsible: Moorpark Police Department, 610 Spring Rd. Moorpark, Ca. 93021.
Narrative:
Our school year is well under way and the Moorpark Police Department would like to remind drivers of the importance of paying attention to school buses that are stopped for the purpose of loading and unloading children.
Per California Vehicle Code section 22454(a), motorists are required by law to stop for school buses that are stopped and operating flashing red lights, with or without a stop sign displayed. This includes motorists that are approaching the stopped bus from behind and or approaching the bus from the front. With that being said, motorists are not required to stop for a school bus on a divided highway and/ or multiple-lane highway when the school bus is on the other side of the roadway. In Moorpark, two examples of divided highways would be Tierra Rejada Road from Highway 23 to Los Angeles Avenue based on a raised center median, and Spring Road from Los Angeles Avenue to Flinn Road based on multiple-lanes divided by double yellow lines delineating a center median.
Assembly Bill 1297, known as the “Thomas Edward Lanni School Bus Safety Act,” was enacted in January 1998 and makes it mandatory for school bus driver’s to operate the flashing red lights and stop sign, if so equipped, when the bus is stopped for the purpose of loading or unloading children, even if the children will not be crossing the street. The Bill was put into place for the purpose of making it safer for school children in and around school buses that are loading or unloading.
It is every driver’s responsibility to obey all traffic laws and to drive with courtesy and care in and around school bus stops. Please help us keep this school year safe by keeping the safety of Moorpark’s children in the forefront of our minds as they return to school. We encourage citizens with traffic related questions or concerns to contact Senior Deputy Nolan Stoyko at the Moorpark Police Station.
CHIEF OF POLICE CAPTAIN John Reilly
SHERIFF GEOFF DEAN
Prepared by: Senior Deputy Nolan Stoyko #2979
News Release Date: November 07, 2018
Media Follow-Up Contact: Senior Deputy Nolan Stoyko #2979 (805)532-2711. nolan.stoyko@ventura.org.
Approved by: Captain John Reilly, Chief of Police
