Drivers should be patient, cautious, attentive as school year starts
At the start of the school year, students are not the only ones who need to recall what they learned just a few months ago. Drivers also need to remember some important lessons. “Drivers must be cautious when approaching students who are walking or riding bikes. They also will need to be careful around school buses that are loading or unloading passengers,” says Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Stephen Fitzgerald. Stop for school busesWisconsin law requires drivers to stop a minimum of 20 feet from a stopped school bus with its red warning lights flashing. Drivers must stop whether the bus is on their side of road, on the opposite side of the road, or at an intersection they are approaching. However, drivers are not required to stop for a school bus if they are traveling in the opposite direction on the other side of a divided roadway separated by a median or other physical barrier. When they are passed illegally, school bus drivers are authorized to report the violator to a law enforcement agency and a citation may be issued. The owner of the vehicle, who might not be the offending driver, will then be responsible for paying the citation. A citation for failure to stop for a school bus costs $326.50 with four demerit points. If reported by a school bus driver, the vehicle owner’s liability for the illegal passing of a bus costs $326.50 with no demerit points. Students walking to school.State law requires drivers to yield to pedestrians:
Drivers who fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians who are legally crossing roadways may be issued citations that cost approximately $175 to $326 (depending on the type of violation) along with four demerit points on their license. The cost of the citation increases if it’s the second violation within one year. A citation for passing a vehicle that is stopped for pedestrians costs $326.50 with three demerit points. Students biking to schoolWhen drivers are passing bicycles traveling in the same direction, they must leave a safe distance of no less than 3-feet of clearance and must maintain that clearance until they have safely passed the bicycle. A violation of the state law that requires drivers to overtake and pass bicyclists safely costs a total of $200.50 with three demerit points. The cost for a second violation within four years increases to $263.50 with three points. Superintendent Stephen Fitzgerald says, “As another school year begins, we are asking drivers to be patient, cautious and attentive whenever they are near students who are walking, biking or riding a bus.” Speeding is not worth the risk
A recent change in state law increased the speed limit to 70 mph on more than 800 miles of interstate highways in Wisconsin. Although speed limits may have increased in some areas, the Wisconsin State Patrol is reminding drivers that there are still many situations when they legally must slow down below the posted limits.
“Driving just 5 mph over the limit puts drivers, their passengers and everyone else on the road at a greater risk of a serious crash. Stopping distances increase and reaction time decreases at higher speeds,” says Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Stephen Fitzgerald. Speeding can be expensive as well as dangerous. Under state law, the costs of speeding citations range from $175 to $893 along with three to six demerit points. Despite the dangers and expense of speeding, too many drivers willingly exceed posted limits. Speeding is by far the most common traffic conviction, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Last year in Wisconsin, there were more than 140,000 speeding convictions. Approximately one out of five traffic convictions last year was for speeding. Intersection crashes can be prevented by obeying traffic signals
To remind drivers that obeying traffic signs and signals at intersections can be a matter of life or death, the Federal Highway Administration has designated the first week of August as “National Stop on Red Week.” “Intersections are some of the most dangerous places motorists encounter,” says Superintendent Stephen Fitzgerald of the Wisconsin State Patrol. “There are many complex movements at intersections with vehicles entering, crossing and exiting at different points. Pedestrians and bicyclists also may be crossing at intersections. If drivers disregard the traffic controls by failing to stop completely at a red light or stop sign, they endanger themselves and others.” Failing to obey a red light, stop sign or other traffic control device at an intersection is a serious violation that costs $175.30 with three demerit points, according to state law. Committing a second offense within a year costs $213.10 with another three points. “To prevent intersection crashes, drivers must keep an alert eye on traffic moving into, through, and out of the intersection,” says Superintendent Fitzgerald. “Drivers should make it a habit to stop completely on red and not race through a yellow light to beat a red light. At a yellow light, drivers must stop unless they’re so close to the intersection that they can’t stop safely. Traffic engineering has improved the safety of intersections, so now it’s up to drivers to do their part.” |
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