As the first day of school approaches, the Park Forest Police Department is reminding drivers to prioritize safety and comply with traffic laws while sharing the road with school buses. 

All students in Rich Township High School District 22 will return to class tomorrow, while Park Forest–Chicago Heights School District 163 begins its school year on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

In Illinois, it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus that has its stop-arm extended and red lights flashing, whether on a roadway, in a parking lot, or on school grounds. Deputy Chief Kristopher Vallow of the Park Forest Police Department stated that officers will be actively patrolling in the coming weeks to ensure drivers adhere to the rules and that children arrive at school safely.

“Starting this week, our dedicated officers will be out in full force, working tirelessly to enhance road safety in Park Forest. They will focus on enforcing occupant protection laws and cracking down on dangerous driving habits,” Vallow said. “Our aim is to make the roadways safer in Park Forest.”

Vallow said that understanding and obeying the law—especially stopping for school buses with flashing red lights and extended stop-arms—can help drivers avoid tickets and, more importantly, protect children. He reminded motorists that when a school bus stops on a two-lane road, all lanes of traffic must stop at least 20 feet before reaching the bus. On four-lane roads like Western Avenue and Sauk Trail, only the traffic traveling in the same direction as the stopped bus is required to stop.

According to the most recent data, school bus–related crashes resulted in 128 fatalities across the United States in 2023, a 23% increase from the 104 deaths recorded in 2022. From 2014 to 2023, about 71% of those killed in school bus–related incidents were occupants of other vehicles, while only 6% were passengers on the bus, and 16% were pedestrians.