As National School Bus Safety Week is observed across the country, the Park Forest Police Department is reminding motorists to slow down and follow laws designed to keep children safe when they are boarding or exiting school buses.

In Illinois, when a school bus stops and activates its red flashing lights and stop arm, all drivers traveling in both directions must stop, unless the roadway is divided by a physical barrier. Motorists must remain stopped until the bus resumes motion or the driver signals that it is safe to proceed.

“Too often, violations of stop-arm rules put our youngest citizens at risk,” said Park Forest Deputy Police Chief Kristopher Vallow. “Our goal is to prevent tragedies. Officers will focus on school bus safety this week, but we encourage drivers to remain vigilant every day of the year.”

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s 2023 Crash Facts & Statistics Report, there were 1,026 crashes involving school buses in the state last year. While no school-aged passengers on buses were killed, 78 students and 40 bus drivers were injured.

Nationally, the National Safety Council reports that from 2014 to 2023, there were 971 fatal school bus-related crashes in the United States, resulting in 1,079 deaths—an average of about 108 per year. Most of those who lost their lives were occupants of other vehicles, not the passengers of the school buses themselves.

Additionally, data from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services indicates that an estimated 40 million illegal “stop-arm” violations occur across the country each year.

“Beyond obeying the law, drivers should always stay alert for children walking near buses and bus stops,” Vallow added. “A few extra seconds of patience can save a life.”

Residents are encouraged to discuss bus safety with their families and to treat yellow flashing lights as a warning and red flashing lights, accompanied by a stop arm, as a clear signal to stop.