FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky drivers face new rules this school year when it comes to stopping for school buses, and police departments across the state are working to get the word out before students return to class.
House Bill 7, which updated KRS 189.370 and took effect July 15, now requires traffic in both directions to stop for school buses with flashing lights and a stop arm — including on most four-lane roads.
"The only time you don't have to stop on a four-lane highway is if it's divided by an unpaved median or a raised barrier," Alexandria Chief of Police Lucas Cooper said.
Previously, drivers traveling in the opposite direction of a stopped school bus on a four-lane highway were not required to stop, regardless of whether a median was present. Under the new law, a painted median, turn lane, or similar divider is no longer enough to exempt drivers from stopping.
In Alexandria, police say the change will have a significant impact on U.S. 27, which has 10 bus stops now affected by the law.
"Many of those stops are within a few hundred yards of each other," Cooper said.
Cooper said his department had spent years educating drivers on when they did and did not have to stop for buses.
"I feel like we had just started to get people to understand that if you're going the opposite direction on U.S. 27 through the city, you don't have to stop for a school bus, and now that's changing," Cooper said.
In Florence, Captain Mike Geis, patrol commander for the Florence Police Department, pointed to Ewing Boulevard as an example of how the law plays out in practice.
"We're on Ewing Boulevard, and this is a good example of when you can pass a school bus going the opposite direction because there's a barrier separating traffic," Geis said. "Further down Ewing Boulevard near U.S. 42, there's no barrier. So even if you're traveling the opposite direction, you have to stop. And we regularly write tickets there for drivers passing stopped buses."
Geis said Florence's daytime population swells from roughly 35,000 residents to more than 100,000 with commuters, making public awareness of the law especially important.
"Our goal in that is to educate the public more. If we can prevent having to write tickets, that's fantastic. We'd much rather educate the public so everybody's safe," Geis said.
The law also allows school districts to install cameras on buses to capture stop-arm violations. Fines start at $300 for a first offense and $500 for a second offense through the school district's civil citation process.
If a bus camera captures a violation, the ticket goes to the vehicle's registered owner even if that person was not driving unless they can prove otherwise.
Cooper said the local school district in Alexandria does not currently plan to adopt the civil citation process established by the law. Instead, the district will continue working with the county attorney's office to pursue egregious violations through the court system.
Not all buses are equipped with cameras. Geis said some Florence-area buses have them and some do not.
The legislation was not without opposition. During the legislative session, one lawmaker raised concerns about the camera citation process.
"I'm going to have to oppose this … not because it's not trying to protect someone, but because I think there needs to be a law enforcement officer involved in the process," Rep. John Hodgson said in opposition testimony.
Supporters of the bill spoke from personal experience. Rep. Bobby McCool testified in favor of the measure.
"I actually fractured the left side of my skull, but I'm blessed to be here today. I'd hope no other child has to go through that," McCool said.
Officers in both Alexandria and Florence say they plan to focus on education in the early weeks of the school year, reserving citations for the most clear-cut or intentional violations.
"Slow down, put your cell phone down, just pay attention while you drive. There's a reason these laws are in effect," Geis said. "Just take the time to slow down. That's all you really got to do."
Cooper echoed that concern, noting that one of his department's biggest worries is the potential for traffic collisions between drivers who know about the new law and those who do not.
Both departments are sharing information about the new law on their Facebook pages.
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