Greensburg among police departments targeting drivers along school bus routes

A few problem areas for Greensburg Salem School District buses will be among those targeted Wednesday for enforcement and driver education, said city police Sgt. Reginald Harbarger.

Greensburg officers are assigned to follow bus routes and sit at bus stops while paying special attention to the area of East Pittsburgh Street near the YMCA and a bus that transports students to and from Amos K. Hutchinson Elementary School, he said.

“We’re going to have officers deployed from the early morning hours when school buses are beginning to load children at bus stops … and it will conclude in the evening hours when the buses are then delivering the children back safely to those stops,” he said.

The Greensburg department is among about 300 municipal police agencies statewide participating, along with Pennsylvania State Police, in an aggressive driving enforcement wave that will end Nov. 10. The enforcement focuses on school bus safety, the Move Over Law, speeding and tailgating, said PennDOT District 12 safety press officer Emily Swecker.

Drivers must stop at least 10 feet away from a school bus that has its red lights flashing and stop arm activated when they are behind a bus, meeting a bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped. Drivers must remain stopped until the lights stop blinking and arm folds in.

If a physical barrier, such as a median, separates oncoming traffic from a bus, drivers in the opposing lanes don’t have to stop.

“The children on these school buses are your neighbor’s kids, your kids or even a loved one’s kids,” said Trooper Tristan Tappe. “We want to make sure they get to school safely and they get the education that they need.”

Harbarger said Greensburg officers’ presence will serve as an educational tool for drivers while proactively deterring violations. Drivers can be cited for failing to stop for a school bus and speeding through a school zone, both of which can result in drivers license suspension, fines and points on a license.

“Pennsylvania sees that as a very serious offense, passing school buses, not staying completely stopped until the school bus is ready to continue traveling,” Tappe said.

PennDOT is working with the Highway Safety Network and police to reduce aggressive driving, which is among the leading factors in crashes and fatalities. Aggressive driving behaviors include excessive speed, weaving through traffic and running stop signs or red lights, according to PennDOT.

Statewide in 2023, there were 6,610 crashes related to aggressive driving which resulted in 121 fatalities and 409 suspected serious injuries. In Westmoreland County, there were 681 crashes related to aggressive driving from 2019 to 2023. Fifteen people were killed, Swecker said.

”Aggressive driving endangers not only the aggressive driver, but everyone else on the road, including other drivers, passengers, pedestrians and school children,” she said.