Obey the school bus stop arm!
Courtesy photo Violation of school bus stop arm could lead to hefty fines or something even more tragic. Don’t risk it, just obey the stop sign.
A recent rash of tragic school bus accidents involving cars not adhering to school bus stop arms has gotten the attention of school administrators across the nation.
Earlier this week, Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra released a public service announcement with the intent of increasing awareness about school buses and the stop law designed to protect students.
“The State Department of Education, and educators everywhere in Idaho, always place the safety of their students first,” Ybarra said. “This awareness campaign is part of our ongoing efforts to protect students with programs ranging from our anti-bullying campaign, safe and drug free schools, grants and the KISS (Keep Idaho Students Safe) initiative. We want students safe from the moment they leave their home until they return after school.”
In the Wallace School District, transportation director Cory Foster has made sure that his drivers keep student and passenger safety at the forefront.
“We require our drivers to report these violations and we have a state form that we fill out to report them,” Foster said.
Reporting these violations isn’t where it stops either, something Foster can also attest to.
“We went to court over a violation last year,” Foster said. “People need to know that it isn’t a suggestion, when that sign is out, you have to stop.”
Foster does require that his drivers employee a bit of common decency, as well when utilizing their signs.
“We try to work with people and make sure we wait for people to get by if they are 200 feet or so from the bus stop when we pull up,” Foster said. “But if it’s clear line of sight for traffic and they’re a few hundred yards out, we’ll put the signs out and give people an opportunity to slow down and stop.”
State law says bus drivers should report stop arm violations to law enforcement and then local authorities will find the driver and issue a citation.
More and more buses also are deploying cameras to capture violators and the license plate of the car that ignores the stop arm law.
Idaho code says that the owner of the car is responsible for the citation unless they can prove someone else was driving, in which case the other person is cited.
The fine for a violation of the stop arm law, which is designed to protect students getting on and off a bus, can run from $100 to $500 (Idaho Code §49-1422 and §49-1423) and includes adding four points on the violator’s driver’s license.
A study by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), showed that in a one-day national snapshot survey of more than 100,000 bus drivers in 2018, more than three out of every four of those drivers reported at least one stop arm violation that day.