This entire week, Indiana State Police, Warrick County Sheriff’s Department, Boonville Police, Chandler Police and Newburgh Police conducted a special enforcement blitz targeting drivers who failed to stop for school buses while loading or unloading students.
During a one-day statewide poll last year, school bus drivers throughout Indiana observed 1,089 stop arm violations. “Stop arm violations occur almost every day in Warrick County,†said Warrick County School Corporation Transportation Director Guy Gentry. In November 2007, a Warrick County girl was seriously injured when she was struck by a car on SR 261 as she was getting off the bus.
Between 6:15 – 8:00 a.m. and 2:50 and 4:00 p.m. this week, officers followed school buses or were parked at pre-arranged locations observing for stop arm violations. During the five-day event, those officers stopped 21 drivers who illegally passed a school bus while either loading or unloading students.
Troopers want to remind drivers they are required by law to stop and not pass a school bus when the red lights are flashing and the flashing stop arm is extended. Drivers are not required by law to stop for a school bus when they are approaching from the opposite direction and there is a concrete barrier or grassy median dividing the lanes. For example: A school bus is eastbound on SR 66 and stops at Country Place Drive to unload children. All eastbound traffic must stop for the school bus. Because there is a concrete barrier dividing eastbound and westbound traffic, drivers traveling westbound are NOT required to stop for the school bus. Drivers traveling on a multiple lane highway with no concrete barrier or grassy media are required to stop in all directions when a school bus stops to load or unload children. SR 662 between Newburgh and Evansville and SR 62 between Chandler and Boonville are two examples where drivers must stop in all directions when a school bus stops to load or unload students.
Indiana State Police will continue to collaborate with the Warrick County School Corporation and other Warrick County law enforcement agencies to ensure all students are safe while loading or unloading from their school buses.
