MPR News · Estelle Timar-Wilcox · September 8, 2026
As kids around Minnesota head back to school this week, a new state law requires drivers to stop earlier when approaching a school bus that is picking up or dropping off students. The updated law bars drivers from passing any school bus with its red lights flashing. Previously, the law barred passing only when the bus’s stop arm was fully extended. Minnesota Department of Public Safety officials said they heard reports of drivers rushing to pass buses that had red lights flashing — but before their stop arms were extended. Lt. Brian Reu, with the State Patrol’s Office of Pupil Transportation Safety, said the new law should help keep cars clear of bus stops while kids get on and off. “That’s when they’re the most vulnerable,” Reu said. “They’re just trying to get to school or back home. At the end of the day, we want to make sure they can do that safely.” The state participated in a national survey last year that asked bus drivers to report how many cars break the law by passing stopped school buses. Bus drivers in Minnesota reported more than 500 violations. “Their biggest frustration is people going by their stop arm,” Reu said of school bus drivers. “They get to know these kids, they care about them, and it scares them when they see somebody go by the school bus.” Breaking that rule can incur a $500 fine. Passing the bus on its right side, or passing while students are outside the bus, elevates the violation to a gross misdemeanor. New cameras mounted on buses are helping law enforcement agencies locate and charge drivers who break the law. The Department of Public Safety distributed $16 million over the past few years to get cameras on about 8,000 buses around the state. Shannon Grabow works for the department and helped oversee those grants. “These cameras are definitely helping raise awareness,” Grabow said. “They’re helping detect these violators.” Grabow said parents can also help keep kids safe by teaching them to look both ways before they cross the street. But she said drivers should always be careful around bus stops. “Kids are not going to be single-file, they’re going to act unpredictably,” Grabow said. “School is a fun time for all the families, lots of kids. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not their kids come home safely.”