Over 160 Stop Arm Violations in Minnesota Already This School Year
In just the first 15 days of kids being back in the classroom, there has been over 160 school bus stop arm violations. In a post to their Facebook page, the Minnesota State Patrol shared:
In just the first 15 days of school drivers continue to risk the lives of our children getting on and off the bus.Bus companies reported 161 stop-arm violations so far this school year. The reports are from only 40 school districts out of 326 public school districts in Minnesota.
Motorists are required to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended so kids can safely get on and off the bus.
When traveling a two-lane road, or multi-lane road that is paved across motorists traveling in both directions must stop for the bus to let kids on or off. If traveling a divided highway with a barrier the vehicles behind the bus must stop and not pass. The State Patrol urged drivers to put away any distractions and really pay attention to buses, as they do make frequent stops.
Give buses and kids this school year ample room on the roads. The extra few seconds it takes for them to get on and off the bus won't ruin your day, let's all make sure we are keeping our kids and bus drivers safe this school year.