RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- With more than a million students headed back to school across the commonwealth, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is reminding drivers to be cautious near school buses and school zones.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest way for students to get to and from school. However, when walking to and from the bus, and when buses are loading and unloading students, they become vulnerable to injury.

In Virginia, it is illegal to pass a stopped school bus with flashing red lights and an extended stop sign.

"This means the bus is picking up or dropping off students. All motorists must stop, whether they are approaching from the front in an opposite lane or overtaking it from the rear," VDOT said in a r

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