Every school day in Michigan, children step off buses and into crosswalks — relying on drivers around them to follow a basic safety law. But a statewide survey found that law is being broken hundreds of times a day, and law enforcement is now taking direct action to stop it.
This week, local and state police across Michigan launched a coordinated enforcement campaign targeting drivers who fail to stop for school buses displaying flashing red lights. Under state law, all drivers — whether approaching from behind or from the opposite direction — must stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus once its red lights are activated. Drivers may only proceed after the bus driver has turned those lights off.
Michigan State Police spokesperson Lieutenant Rene Gonzalez described the violation as a serious offense with real consequences for drivers who are caught.
“It’s a high fine between $200 and $500 dollars, depending on the jurisdiction of the court,” Gonzalez said. “And it’s a three-point assessment on your driver’s license. So your driver’s license gets hit, now the insurance company knows about it, and so there goes up your rate.”
The state is covering overtime costs for local and state agencies participating in the campaign. Enforcement tactics vary by department. Some agencies assign officers to ride along on buses or follow them in patrol vehicles. Others focus additional patrols on areas where violations have been frequently observed or reported by parents.
Gonzalez described one particularly effective tactic that also tends to be a hit with students.
“Or, we’ve done this before, we put a trooper on the bus, and we have a lead car somewhere following, and if we see a violation we call it out, and that vehicle is stopped and issued a citation,” he said.
The data behind the campaign underscores why enforcement is being prioritized. A single-day survey conducted in May 2026 — involving 1,738 Michigan school bus drivers — recorded 950 incidents in which a motorist illegally passed a stopped school bus, according to the Michigan State Police.
That figure reflects the scale of a problem that goes beyond individual bad decisions. Michigan has faced broader challenges with school bus driver shortages in recent years, straining the state’s student transportation infrastructure. Drivers who do show up each day depend on motorists around them to follow the law so students can board and exit safely.
The yellow flashing lights on a school bus signal that a stop is approaching and that drivers should begin slowing down. When the red lights activate, the law requires a full stop — no exceptions for opposite-lane traffic unless a physical barrier, such as a median, separates the roadway. This campaign, covered under the criminal justice and legal system beat, focuses on ensuring that requirement is enforced visibly and consistently across the state.