Classes are beginning for the year and with that drivers need to remember to stop for stopped school buses.
In 2012, Governor Terry Branstad signed Kadyn’s Law which aims to prevent death or injury to children while getting on or off school buses, and increased criminal penalties for passing a stopped bus. In 2011, seven-year-old Kadyn Halverson was fatally hit by a truck while trying to board a school bus. Washington County Sheriff Jared Schneider says, “Bus stop arm violations are probably one of the biggest things we see going back to school in the fall. Drivers need to be watching for those buses, and be prepared to stop when they see the yellow or red lights.”
Drivers going both the same direction as the bus and the oncoming traffic must stop when a bus has it’s stop sign out and warning lights flashing. Remain stopped until the sign is brought in and the bus begins moving again.
In addition to addressing drivers, Schneider recommends parents talk to their kids who are boarding buses, “The bus driver usually will be looking out for the kid to cross the road, but the other thing is parents will probably want to talk to the students about is students themselves probably need to look, too. If they’re crossing the road coming out in front of a bus, and looking beyond the back of the bus to make sure that there isn’t traffic coming. Because just like we have the violations for the stop arms, people don’t always stop, and just because that stop arm is out the kids still need to look and make sure there isn’t somebody that is coming around.”
Many buses now have cameras which can help identify those who illegally go by a school bus that is stopped. A driver who chooses to pass a stopped bus faces a serious moving violation that can include license suspension.