House Bill 3 made its way to the Ohio Senate after having encountered no naysayers during the House of Representatives vote June 11. It seems unlikely there will be much resistance in the state Senate, either, as the School Bus Safety Act includes some important ways to keep students and drivers safer.

Most drivers know the rules regarding driving safely when school buses are on the road. Too many ignore them anyway. According to the National Safety Council, between 2013 and 2022 there were 1,082 fatalities and approximately 132,000 injuries as a result of school-bus related crashes.

Those injuries and deaths aren’t just those in buses and cars; they include pedestrians, too.

HB 3 would increase penalties for illegally passing stopped school buses and would authorize installation of cameras that could record such violations. It develops a School Bus Safety Fund and Grant Program, which would let school districts apply for money that would improve safety features on their buses. It would create new public education initiatives on the matter. And, right at the start of the new school year, it would designate August as School Bus Safety Month.

Because it seems as though common sense and courtesy aren’t enough already to make some drivers overcome their distraction and impatience to follow the rules around buses, measures not only to educate but to increase penalties for violators are important.

“As a former educator, I believe HB 3 will protect the well-being and future of our children,” said state Rep. Kevin Ritter, R-Marietta. “Safe transportation to and from school is essential for the growth and development of Ohio’s next generation.”

It’s a head-shaker that lawmakers must be thinking along these lines, but they must. Surely members of the state Senate will see things the same way.