KIMBERLY, Idaho — So far this school year, Kimberly school bus drivers have reported 76 drivers to police for failing to stop as students get on and off the bus.
"Whether it's Kimberly, whether it's Filer, whether it's a school district across the way, we're just seeing that there is a lack of caring or understanding of the law,” said Sergeant Ken Mencl of the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office.
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With 76 reports of vehicles not stopping for school buses in the Kimberly School District, local law enforcement and the bus drivers are fed up.
"You know, there is a big difference between trying to beat the red light at an intersection and squeeze through on that yellow compared to [passing] a school bus that is a 40-foot big yellow brick [with] children getting on and off,” said Mencl.
According to the Twin Falls County Sheriff's Office, when questioned, most of the offenders said they were confused by the signals. Many assumed they only needed to stop when the stop sign swings out.
But according to the law, if you see flashing lights on a big yellow school bus, that's your signal to stop.
“When you see those yellow lights flashing, that's your time to apply the brakes to get stopped in time. If you wait until the lights turn red and that stop-arm comes out to start applying brake pressure— you're going to commit a violation.”
According to Kimberly School District Operations Manager Matthew Searby, when he or a fellow driver goes to court, many drivers claim the lights were not flashing. Which is something Searby says is impossible due to pre-route safety checks and procedures.
"So, we're going to hit this button right here, which is our exterior light check button. So, that activates all of the lights on the exterior of the bus,” said Searby.
After flipping the switch, it's time to get out and visually inspect.
"So, it’s cycling the red 8-ways and the amber 8-ways. Part of the precheck and lights check process is [to ensure] that the stop arms are activated, and lights are flashing,” said Searby. “We're verifying that our rear-stop is deployed, and lights are flashing. We're also checking the lights on the back of the bus."
After the pre-route safety check is complete, it's time to hit the road.
"As the driver is approaching the stop, no less than 250 feet away from the stop, they're turning on their amber lights. And then, once we get to the stop, by opening the door, the system is already armed, so the system turns to reds, and as you can see here in the mirror, the stop-arm is deployed,” added Searby.
