Drivers Disregard Stopped School Buses in WV - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Drivers Disregard Stopped School Buses in WV

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By Douglas Fritz - email

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -

A week long effort to crack down on drivers who pass stopped school buses reveals some disturbing results.

Over the course of the week from April 30 to May 6, West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia Department of Education teamed up to stop motorists from illegally passing school buses.

Troopers boarded buses on 23 routes in Raleigh, Mercer, Berkeley, Cabell, Grant, Jefferson, Harrison, Kanawha, Monongalia, Ohio, Randolph and Wood counties.  On six of the routes the Department of Education reported incidents of motorists ignoring the flashing lights and extended stop arm.  That is 26 percent of the routes that were monitored. Violators received tickets and fines.

According to a release from the Department of Education, Troopers were so concerned with the disrespect given to school buses by the public that they plan to have additional unannounced ride-a-longs and increased patrols to catch violators.

"We are appreciative of our partnership with the State Police and other organizations to keep our children safe," said Superintendent of Schools, Jorea Marple.  "We cannot allow motorists to continue to put the lives of our children at risk of injury and death.  When motorists fail to obey the law, they endanger the lives of our children, our drivers and themselves."

A survey of county transportation directors in 2011 was conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation.  That survey revealed there were more than 600 motorists in West Virginia who pass stopped school buses every day.  While the results of the 2012 survey are still being collected, they have already revealed there have been more than 27 daily incidents in each of Cabell, Kanawha and Berkeley counties.

"Nearly 230,000 children safely travel about 46 million miles of roadway in West Virginia every year on about 3,000 school buses," said Marple.  "Yet their lives are endangered every time they get on or off a school bus and impatient driver fails to stop.  I ask all motorists when they see flashing red lights, be smart, be patient and stop."

The consequences of passing a stopped school bus can be severe.  West Virginia state law allows for motorists to be charged with a felony if their action leads to injury or death.  An injury is punishable by a $2,000 fine and up to three years in prison.  A fatality raises the fine to $3,000 and prison time to 10 years.  Simply failing to stop is a misdemeanor, but the fine is $500 and up to 6 months in jail.