IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – Ada County recently reported seeing a “shocking” increase in people driving around school buses when they are stopped and have their stop arms extended. How much of a problem are these violations in Idaho Falls School District 91?
Here in the Gem State, driving past a school bus with its stop arm extended is a misdemeanor.
“The code says three or more lanes, people going in the opposite direction of the bus do not have to stop,” Idaho State Police Corporal Brandon Olson said. “However, if you’re going in the same direction as the bus and they have the stop sign out, you have to stop.”
That, unfortunately, doesn’t keep people from zooming by the stopped buses.
Tami Rumsey, who’s driven school buses for years, shared a frightening experience that almost ended in a child getting injured or worse.
“It was a minivan…she went past the bus with the stop arm out and almost hit the girl. And so the lady in the minivan, she saw that she almost hit the girl and slammed on the brakes and put her head in her lap and just stayed there. And so that was a real realization on my part [of] how safe it is.”