The Warsaw Police Department and Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department are working together to crack down on people running school bus stop-arm signs.
This week marks National School Bus Safety Week.
With that in mind, WPD and KCSD have organized a joint effort to cut down on people who disregard stop-arm signs on school buses.Della Swain, director of transportion for Warsaw Community Schools, said that corporation-wide, bus drivers on average report between eight and 10 violations a day.
Passing a school bus can be either a Class A infraction or a Class C misdemeanor.
According to the prosecutor's office, the court costs for the infraction are $114 and the fine can be up to $500.
If it's a Class C misameanor, the court costs are $164 and the fine can be as much as $1,000.
The law for stopping for a school bus is as follows: "(a) A person who drives a vehicle that: (1) meets or overtakes from any direction a school bus stopped on a roadway and is not stopped before reaching the school bus when the arm signal when the arm signal device specified is in the device's extended position, or (2) proceeds before the arm signal device is no longer extended;" commits the offense.
The law also states that it is presumed that the owner of the vehicle involved in the violation commited the violation.
With the increased cooperation between KCSD and WPD, KCSD Sheriff Rocky Goshert and WPD Chief Perry Hunter plan to issue the directive to their officers that cutting down on vehicles ignoring stop arms on buses is a priorty.
Both Hunter and Goshert themselves are working traffic duty.
Hunter said that while making a traffic stop near Warsaw High School recently, an accident was caused because cars were "rubber necking" watching Hunter pull over a violator.
Both departments state that drivers should use caution and avoid distractions while driving and especially when school buses are involved.
Swain said that drivers should use caution as soon as they see the yellow lights appear on top of the bus.
"Anytime you see those overhead yellows flashing, the reds are next," said Swain.
Swain said that her drivers become frustrated when people ignore the stop arms.
"They are responsible for the lives of children," said Swain. "They get very frustrated."
Hunter encouraged people who see drivers passing school buses to call Swain at 574-269-1750
