By Claire Sachse
Starting Monday, school buses will be crisscrossing Polk County’s roadways as the 2014-2015 school year gets underway. With 29 buses on the roads, the safety of children as they get on and off the buses becomes a top priority.
According to Lambert Ridings, transportation director for Polk County Schools, too many motorists are ignoring the flashing lights and swing stop arms on buses, and are passing stopped school buses as they let children on and off.
To combat this problem, the school system has equipped an undisclosed number of buses with cameras that will record traffic around the bus as it makes its stops.
“It will take a picture of the car, the tag and the driver, both coming toward the bus and leaving,” said Ridings.
Ridings said that there seems to be confusion about whether cars must stop in both directions, especially on roads with three lanes, like Hwy. 108 in Columbus.
“The simple fact is here in Polk County when a school bus is stopped with its stop sign out and lights flashing, all traffic has to stop,” said Ridings.
He also added that motorists must stop for buses on school grounds when the stop arm is out and lights are flashing.
Students attending Polk County Early College will be dropped off on the driveway leading to Polk County High School, not on Hwy. 108, and motorists are expected to adhere to the stop arm law there, too, according to Ridings.
The North Carolina law regarding stopping for buses is contained in General Statute 20-217. A person passing a stopped bus can be charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor and fined $500. Anyone striking or killing someone while passing a bus will be charged with a felony and fined from $1,250 to $2,500. Misdemeanor and felony charges can lead to revoking of a license.