Back 2 School: Passing a stopped school bus will cost you

ATLANTA — As children head back to school and buses return to the roads, make sure you avoid hefty consequences and remember to stop for school buses.

Georgia law requires drivers in BOTH directions to stop when a school bus has its flashing lights on and its stop sign out. This applies to two-lanes roads, two-lane roads with a center turn lane and four-lane roads without a center median.

According to Georgia law, drivers that pass a stopped school bus can be fined $300 for the first violation, $750 for the second violation and $1,000 for the third violation.

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Drivers will also be penalized with six points on their driving record, according to Georgia Department of Driver Services. For drivers under 21, that’s an automatic license suspension.

Drivers over 21 will have their license suspended if they earn 15 points in a 24-month period.

Some Metro Atlanta school districts have installed cameras on their school buses to crack down on violators. Clayton County, Cobb County, Decatur, Gwinnett County, Marietta and Atlanta are all using school bus cameras to crack down on drivers.

Georgia law only allows drivers to pass a stopped school bus if the road has a center median or on a divided highway of four or more lanes.

Channel 2 Action News is your home for Back 2 School coverage.

We’ll have teams of reporters and photographers, as well as NewsChopper 2 and Triple Team Traffic guiding you through the first days of the school year, every weekday on

Channel 2 Action News This Morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. 

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