HARDIN COUNTY, Ky. — Sharing the road with school buses carrying precious cargo should be a top concern for drivers, but you'd be surprised how this point gets lost. New video from Hardin County Schools shows that firsthand. The district said drivers are bypassing stop arms on their buses. Capturing the violations is getting easier, though, thanks to new tech.
"It's a scary, scary thing,” Hardin County Schools Transportation Director Chris Corder said.
Corder said the district sees about 40 to 50 violations a week.
"It's not like the bus just pulls up, slams on the brakes, and throws that sign out. 50 yards from where they're going to stop, the lights start flashing. A lot of people now see those yellow lights on the bus flashing, and they treat them like a yellow light at a stop sign. They speed up,” Corder said. "I think people are just in a great big hurry.”
Not paying attention will now get you even more noticed.
"They're HD cameras. They take a great picture of your license plate should you decide to do this,” Corder said.
The exterior cameras are capturing more than ever before.
"Now that we're tracking it, we really see how bad it is,” Corder said.
Corder spends anywhere from 20 to 25 hours a week going through the videos before he sends them on.
"We take a still shot of your license plate and turn it over to the county attorney. They issue the summons, and then if it does go to court, we have at least two video angles of every violation,” Corder said.
Ignoring the signals and stop arms isn't just illegal, it's inconsiderate.
In Kentucky, unless you're on a two-lane divided highway, if a bus stops, you have to stop,” Corder said. "It's one thing to haul 40 kids on a bus. It's another thing to haul 40 kids and then have the drivers around you not paying attention."
The cameras are costly, but the district said it's worth every penny to keep kids safer.
"The buses are big and yellow. I don't know what else we could do to make people be more aware, but unfortunately they're not, and we're trying to some things to get them to be more aware,” Corder said.
If you do get caught ignoring a school bus stop sign or stop arm, the first offense is a $100 fine plus court costs. You can also get 30 days in jail. Get caught twice, you're looking at a $300 fine plus court costs.
►Contact reporter Sara Wagner at swagner@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Sara) and Facebook.