Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Montgomery County drivers among worst violators in Pa.
With the start of a new school year just around the corner, state officials are reminding drivers of two important state laws to ensure the safety of students heading to and from school.
Drivers in Montgomery County are among the worst violators of two Pennsylvania traffic laws involving illegally passing school buses and speeding in school zones.
When it comes to speeding in school zones, Montgomery County drivers accounted for 31.3 percent of all the violations in Pennsylvania over the past five years, according to new figures released by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.
Law enforcement in Montgomery County issued a whopping 5,308 citations from 2017 to 2021, accounting for nearly 1 out of every 3 violations in the state.
Over that same time period, Chester County accounted for 3.2 percent of the violations. Berks County had 2.89 percent of the violations, Bucks County had 11.6 percent and Delaware County had 7.9 percent.
Pennsylvania law requires motorists to drive no faster than 15 mph in a school zone.
When it comes to illegally passing a school bus with its red lights on and stop signal extended, Montgomery County drivers accounted for 13 percent of the violations in the state, second only to Allegheny County.
Chester County drivers accounted for just over 6 percent of the violations, while Berks County drivers accounted for 4.2 percent. Delaware County had 6 percent of the violations and Bucks County had 7 percent.
Pennsylvania law requires motorists approaching school buses with their red signals on to stop at least 10 feet from the bus and wait for the signals to turn off on the bus.
Over the past five years (2017-2021), drivers violating the two Pennsylvania school zone traffic laws have been cited more than 26,671 times, according to state officials.