Across the state, students are preparing to return to their classrooms for another year of learning.
Meanwhile, school transportation teams are ensuring their buses are ready to safely transport students each day.
In 2026, 101,334 school bus drivers from 40 states, including 3,419 drivers in Washington, participated in a survey released by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS)
During the one-day survey, Washington school bus drivers documented 960 illegal passes. If that one-day count were repeated across Washington’s 180-day school year, it would amount to more than 172,000 violations, according to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI).
It’s Washington state law to stop for school buses.
Here’s what you need to know:
- On a two-lane road, drivers traveling in both directions must stop when the bus’s flashing red lights or retractable stop sign are activated.
- On roads with three or more marked lanes, drivers traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop. The same exception applies to highways divided into separate roadways. However, drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus must always stop.
Drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus face a mandatory $500 fine that cannot be waived, reduced, or suspended.
When in doubt, drive with caution.
©2026 Cox Media Group
