The legislation, which took effect this month, aimed to eliminate confusion of when motorists are supposed to stop for a stopped school bus, said Lance Cpl. Paul Brouthers of the Highway Patrol.

"If you are on the other side of a multi-lane highway, you don't have to stop," he said. "For two lanes, it's still the same as it's always been."

The law also prohibits school bus routes that would require children to cross multi-lane highways to board or exit the bus, Brouthers said.

The old law said motorists had to stop in both directions except on roads that "are separated by an earth or raised concrete median."

Violators faced penalties up to more than $1,000 and 30 days in jail on the first offense.

While the change in the law was meant to protect children, some critics say it might endanger them.

Chuck Saylors, president of the statewide Parent-Teacher Association, calls the change "crazy."

"Until now, if a bus stopped, you stopped," said Saylors, who also is on the Greenville County school board. "What's going to happen is the general public is going to lose the details in the (new) law and somewhere, someone is going to be going down a two-lane road and forget the law and hit a child."

Some Lowcountry parents say all traffic should stop when a bus stops, regardless of the size of the road.

"What's it going to take, five minutes to load a school bus?" asked Nicole Dinkins, who was shopping for school supplies in West Ashley with her daughter Kaitlin. "I don't think five minutes is too much to ensure the safety of someone's child."

Drivers are relying on young children not darting into the street, said Lisa Lewis of Charleston. "Is a 6-year-old old enough to make a judgment like that?"

But Tina Harrison of Charleston said the change is good to prevent children from crossing busy lanes of traffic.

At any rate, motorists should still be cautious around school buses, said John Dozier, director of safety and information with the state Department of Education.

"Any time students and buses must mix with other motorists, there is always a danger," he said. "We can't emphasize enough how important it is for motorists to always slow down and be aware of child pedestrians when they see a school bus."

The change will not affect many Charleston County bus routes, said Donna Alosa, regional operation manager for First Student. The company avoided routes that had children crossing busy highways, she said. First Student is the company that manages transportation for the county school district.

Listings of Charleston County's bus routes appeared in a supplement in Wednesday's editions of The Post and Courier and also can be found at each school or by calling local First Student offices.

CHARLESTON COUNTY BUS CONTACTS

WHO TO CALL FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT SCHOOL BUS ROUTES:

DISTRICT AREA SUPERVISOR PHONE

1 McClellanville Bobbie Mitchum 877-4119

2 Mount Pleasant Cassandra Major 216-6621

3 James Island Zann Fludd 762-2778

4 North Charleston Margie Rosendary 745-7084

9 Johns Island Sally Blair 559-4623

10 West Ashley Betteye Prioleau 745-7186

20 Charleston Betteye Prioleau 745-7186

23 Hollywood Earnestine Holmes 899-3786

Source: First Student

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