Thousands of drivers aren’t stopping for your child’s school bus

Wichita police are working this week to fine drivers who fail to stop when school buses have their stop signs activated.

It’s part of National School Bus Safety Week – but police said they work yearlong to make sure students get to and from school safely.

“About 17,000 kids start and end their day on one of these buses,” said Renee Boydo, with First Student Wichita.

During the 2016 spring semester, school bus drivers tallied about 7,000 violations in Wichita.

This morning, an officer specifically patrolling for school bus violations saw seven drivers run the bus stop sign at one time, but was only able to pull over two of them, Lt. James Espinoza said Tuesday morning.

“It’s very important to take care of the children in our community,” he said, adding that it’s against the law in all 50 states to not stop for school buses.

In Wichita, the violation comes with a $171 fine. Or worse, drivers could hit kids who are trying to get on or off their bus.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office did a similar enforcement last month. In a week, they ticketed 15 drivers.

Officers are keeping their eyes open for violations, but police ask that drivers keep from being distracted around buses.

“School bus safety is a job for all of us,” Wichita police Officer Charley Davidson said.

This story was originally published October 17, 2017 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Thousands of drivers aren’t stopping for your child’s school bus."