You could be fined up to $4,000 for passing a school bus; how you need to share the road

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With lots of local kids heading back to school in recent weeks, motorists are once more sharing the road with school buses.

With the increase in bus traffic, Chatham-Kent police have issued a couple of tips for sharing the road.

When driving on a road without a median, drivers travelling in both directions must stop for a school bus with it’s upper red lights flashing. Stop at a safe distance to let children get on or off the bus, and cross the road. Don’t move ahead until the lights have stopped flashing, or the bus begins to move.

If driving on a road with a median, oncoming traffic is not required to stop.

If found in violation of these traffic laws, drivers can be fined up to $2,000 and six demerit points for their first offense, and up to $4,000, six demerit points and possible jail time for subsequent offenses.

In addition, vehicle owners can be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus, even if they weren’t the person operating the vehicle at the time.