WASHINGTON — Drivers are not supposed to pass a stopped school bus.
Drivers can’t miss them — they’ve got retractable stop signs, called stop arms, sticking out into the roadway with lights flashing.
But every day, school bus drivers have stories of drivers in Montgomery County rolling right by them while the buses are letting kids on and off. And some school buses have cameras that prove it.
County Council President Craig Rice says he has had enough.
“Children’s lives are at risk every time you pass one of these school bus stop arms,” he says.
The council is already considering a plan to install more cameras on the buses, and now it’s considering a resolution to double the penalty for passing a stopped school bus from $125 to $250.
“We’ve always said this was not about money-raising,” Rice says. “This is about safety.”
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @WTOP on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
