School buses are back on the road helping Montana’s youngest residents get to school! According to the American School Bus Council, students are approximately 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a school bus compared to traveling by car (School Bus Safety - Child Safety Network). However, the risk of taking the bus are still present, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 119 occupants were killed in school transportation vehicles between 2015 and 2024 (School-Transportation-Related Traffic Crashes:2015-2024 Data, Traffic Safety Facts). Montana motorists can help prevent school bus related crashes by staying alert and following all school bus safety laws.
Montana Code Annotated (MCA) 61-8-351 requires motorists traveling in either direction, including on highways, to stop at least 30 feet from a school bus when its amber or red lights are activated.
Many school buses are equipped with stop-arms: stop-sign-shaped devices that extend from the side of the bus and flash while students are boarding, exiting, approaching, or leaving the area around the bus. Along with the bus’s flashing amber and red lights, stop-arms help communicate to motorists that the bus is stopping to pick up or drop off students. These warning systems are important, but keeping students safe ultimately depends on drivers paying attention and responding appropriately.
As students across Montana travel to and from school, motorists can help make every trip safer by following a few simple practices:
- Stay alert and focused behind the wheel. Phones, passengers, and other distractions can reduce your ability to react quickly.
- Use your headlights when darkness, weather, or other conditions reduce visibility, particularly during morning and evening hours.
- Keep your vehicle properly maintained, including tires and brakes, so you can stop safely when needed.
- Use extra caution around schools, bus stops, and intersections, especially during times when students are traveling to and from school.
- Never pass a school bus when its amber or red lights are flashing.
Help parents skip the car drop-off line with confidence this year - lets do our part to get our young academics to school safely!
To learn more about MDT’s goal of Vision Zero and what you can do to be safe on our roadways here.