Mayor John Leach Jr. urged drivers to stop for school buses and warned of risks and legal penalties as schools resume in the first week of August. In a public announcement he cited national crash tabulations, recent local incidents at bus stops and state penalties for violations.

The mayor said, "Coming to a full stop when you approach a school bus with its stop arm extended and red lights flashing is the law." He emphasized that motorists must remain stopped "until the bus moves ahead or until the stop sign arm and flashing lights are no longer shown," and warned drivers to watch for children crossing in front of or behind the bus.

According to National Safety Council tabulations of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 109 people nationwide died in school-bus–related crashes in 2019; those figures include incidents involving children getting in or out of vehicles. The mayor also cited a six-month period from August 2018 to March 2019 in which 12 children were killed and 47 were injured while boarding or leaving buses; in each of those incidents the bus stop arm was extended and red lights were flashing.

The mayor described the area within 10 feet of a stopped school bus as the "danger zone" and repeated guidance from a school-bus safety organization that motorists should exercise extreme care in that area because a child may dart from the front or rear of the bus. He also advised riders to remain seated with limbs inside the bus at all times.

The announcement summarized penalties for failing to stop for a school bus as stated in the public remarks: a civil fine of at least $250 for a first offense; a minimum $750 fine and up to a six-month driver's-license suspension for a repeat offense within 36 months; and a minimum $1,000 fine with a license suspension of six months to one year for three or more offenses within 36 months. The mayor clarified that drivers are not required to stop for a school bus on a divided roadway when traveling in the opposite direction and said a divided roadway must be separated by a physical barrier such as a fence, curbing or separation of pavement (a painted stripe alone does not qualify as a physical separation).

He closed by urging caution: "Please drive carefully. Be alert and help keep our children safe."