Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office: Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office Conducting School Bus Safety Patrols This Spring

Evansville IN

30 March, 2021

1:49 PM

Description

Press release from the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office: March 30, 2021 DATE: Tuesday, March 30, 2020 SUBJECT: VCSO Conducting School Bus Safety Patrols this Spring RELEASE NUMBER: 2021-NR-015 CONTACT: Sheriff Dave Wedding AUTHORITY: Sheriff Dave Wedding The Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office is ramping up enforcement this spring to protect students going to and from school. Over the next couple of months, officers will be positioned along bus stops and routes watching for stop-arm violations and unsafe driving behavior. The overtime patrols are funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through the state's Stop Arm Violation Enforcement (SAVE) program, which was developed by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute in 2019. "We take school zone safety and the security of every child very seriously, said Sheriff Wedding. "Disregarding a school bus stop arm and dangerous driving in school zones put precious lives at risk. We're asking all motorists to drive cautiously near schools and around buses. In the coming months, our deputies will be patrolling all of our county school zones and watching for unsafe driving behavior.' The Office joins more than 200 around the state for the spring enforcement campaign, designed to encourage motorists to stop for school buses. High-visibility patrols will be conducted in the morning and afternoon along routes identified by local bus drivers and school transportation officials. While officers will be focusing on stop-arm violations, they will also be on the lookout for any unsafe driving behavior such as speeding and distracted driving. "We still have far too many people speeding and not paying attention to the road," said Devon McDonald, ICJI Executive Director. "One glance at your phone is all it takes to cause a tragedy. Children are unpredictable, so it's important to stay alert and be prepared to stop at all times." In Indiana, it's against the law for motorists to pass a bus that's stopped and has its red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. This applies to all roads, with one exception. Motorists who are on a highway that is divided by a barrier, such as a cable barrier, concrete wall or grassy median, are required to stop only if they are traveling in the same direction as the school bus. This press release was produced by the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office. The views expressed here are the author's own.