These Tampa drivers don’t seem to get the message that when a school bus stops with red lights flashing, all traffic going both ways must stop.
Hillsborough County-area driver and Redditor /u/ebmac97 shared head-shaking dashcam footage from W Sligh Ave from earlier in September (Sept 24, 2026) to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit, showing driver after driver passing by a stopped Hillsborough County Public School bus actively letting kids off.
Check out the shameful and dangerous driving behaviour below with the original Reddit thread linked here.
The incident happened in the 1300 block of Sligh Ave at the intersection with Willow Ave in front of The Sanctuary Apartment complex.
This is a bus stop used by multiple schools in Hillsborough County.
As the dashcam shows, the bus pulls to the side of Sligh Ave in front of the apartments and flips on its flashing red lights.
At that point, cars should begin to slow and stop; however, at least 3 drivers sneak past.
Even given the benefit of the doubt that, at the time the bus’s warning lights start flashing, they didn’t have enough reasonable time to stop, 3 more drivers drive by while the bus’s red stop signs are extended, too.
“For all the folks asking, this clip is in Florida, and Florida law says all drivers on multi-lane roads should stop for a school bus unless there is a median or physical divider between them. So on this road, all drivers should stop because, theoretically, children could be expected to cross the road at this bus stop,” the top comment from /u/KBHoleN1 reads.
A CBS 12 article on the matter backs up what’s said above.
Clearly, drivers in this area don’t know how to act when a school bus stops to let kids off.
Thankfully, no kids were crossing the street, and most went into the apartments and condos in The Sanctuary.
In Tampa, Florida, passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and stop sign deployed is generally a $265 civil penalty and 4 points if you pass on the side where children enter/exit: $200 base penalty + $65 additional assessment. (Florida Senate)
If the violation is captured by an automated school-bus camera, the penalty is generally $225 ($200 + $25) and no points are assessed. (Florida Senate)
If the violation causes serious bodily injury or death, the penalty rises to $1,500 and 6 points, with at least a one-year license suspension. (Florida Senate)
