In the coming days, school buses will hit the road again as students head back to school. Essentially, it’s the students’ commute, and they can’t do it without their bus drivers.

"They are the first smiling face that a student sees when getting on,” said Maria Todaro, the vice president of the New Jersey School Bus Contractors Association.

Once the riders are buckled in per New Jersey law, Todaro says other drivers are the biggest safety concern.

"Nobody wants to get stuck behind a school bus,” Todaro said. “Trying to beat that bus, get past the school bus stop, that’s where we face a lot of running of the red lights."

It is state law to stop 25 feet from stopped school buses while on either side of the road. Some schools in neighboring states have artificial intelligence-powered stop arm cameras to catch those violators. New Jersey does not have those cameras, but any violators who are caught can earn five points on their license.