WINCHESTER,VA - Police have tried many ways to catch drivers who disobey the school bus stop sign, but they have not seen much change.
"Sometimes it may be only one
car. I've had five or six cars just got right past me and if they keep doing
that, someday, a kid is going to get killed," says Bob Gallagher, who has
driven a school bus for eight years.
While police are always cracking down on catching those who whiz past the flashing red sign, drivers are still ignoring it.
"We try and get their license
number but the form that we fill out asks for the sex, male or female, license
number, make of the car and what year it is and it's just no way you just can
get that," adds Gallagher.
Beginning next school year, the City of Winchester will be trying out four external security cameras. If they prove to have good results, there will be a camera installed on every bus.
Even with the hands-free law in effect, bus drivers say many of the drivers who passed their stop sign are usually on their cell phones."They're just not paying attention to their driving and I think that's the biggest thing and they're so busy talking and they just whiz by," adds Gallagher.
The cameras are currently being made and it will not cost the city a penny.To pass a school bus stop sign in the state of Virginia is considered reckless driving. If anyone is caught, penalties can include a $2,500 fine or the loss of license.
