CLARKSVILLE, Ind — Penalties for Indiana drivers who violate school bus stop arms may soon get stricter.
The bill passed the House and Senate in April and is now waiting for Governor Eric Holcomb's signature.
“We're going to have to do something to get the driver's attention,” Clarksville parent, Mike Popplewell said.
That was the mission after three kids were tragically killed after hopping off a school bus in northern Indiana October 2018. A fourth child was injured.
“Think of the ones we didn't hear about,” Popplewell said. “Several kids have been hit, killed, run over by cars, getting off of a school bus and you don't hear about it.”
Alyssa Shepherd, 24, struck and killed twins Xzavier and Mason Ingle, both 6, and their sister Alivia Stahl, 9, as they were crossing the highway to board their school bus. The driver drove pass the school bus that was stopped with flashing.
Since the tragedy, Senate Bill 2 came to fruition. It will allow a judge to suspend a driver's license for 90 days the first time someone passes a school bus with a stop arm out. If convicted in the past, a motorist will lose their driving privileges for one year. If someone gets hurt or dies, the penalty increases from a Class A misdemeanor to a Level 6 felony which means time behind bars.
"I think this bill is a wonderful idea because if the punishment is not stiff enough and you just get a smack on the hand every time you do something like that why not keep doing it,” Popplewell said.
Some think the new changes should not stop there.
“I've got four children that's taking school buses and grandchildren,” Clarksville parent, Donald Cook said. “People have just forgotten their priorities and their needs to stiffer penalties because it's not about fines and all that stuff it's about peoples' lives and children.”
The bill will also allow schools to request funding from the city to install cameras on school bus stop arms.
Kentucky lawmakers proposed a similar bill in February that aims to increase penalties for passing stopped school buses. The bill has since stalled, but representatives said they plan to bring it back to the table for discussion in January 2020.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.