As the start of the new Bolivar R-1 school year quickly approaches, the Bolivar Police
Department wants to remind local drivers of the importance of stopping for school buses as they
load and unload children.
According to Lt. Roger Barron, drivers must stop for all school buses with flashing lights and
extended “STOP” signs when they’re driving on a two-lane connected roadway.
He said this law applies to all lanes of traffic — those moving in the same direction as the school
bus and those moving in the opposite direction.
“Never pass a bus from either direction on an undivided road if it’s stopped to load or unload
kids,” Barron said.
This law also applies to two-lane streets with a turn lane in the center.
“Some of Bolivar’s major roadways — including Aldrich Road, South Springfield Avenue and
Broadway Street — meet this description,” he said.
Last year, the City of Bolivar placed permanent signs on Aldrich Road to remind drivers they
cannot pass stopped school buses loading and unloading children.
Barron said there are other ways drivers can safely share streets with school buses.
If drivers are behind a bus, Barron said, they need to allow a greater following distance than if
they are behind another vehicle.
“That gives you more time to stop once a school buses’ lights start flashing and it prepares to
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