Drivers Speed Past Stopped School Buses Alarming Parents
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A car speeds past a stopped school bus in Valparaiso as it's picking up a group of young kids.
Parents said it happens all the time. But this time the driver was caught in the act.
There are two school bus stops just a few yards apart on U.S. 6. Drivers in both directions are required to stop for the stop arm. But as dash cam video from 6:30 Wednesday morning showed, drivers are breaking the rules.
The westbound Duneland School Corporation bus pulled over near U.S. 6 and County Road 125 West. The lights are flashing and the arm goes out. One car barely squeaks by and then a second car blows by at full speed.
A Porter County officer pulled over a 46-year-old Portage woman who reportedly showed no remorse and she's charged with one count of reckless driving.
It's been especially hard for mom Breeana Aldridge ever since three children were struck and killed in October boarding their school bus in Rochester, Indiana.
"It makes you cry just thinking about it," Aldridge said. "I don't ever want anything like that to happen to my kid."
They also remember alarming video showing dozens of cars swerving around a school bus in Lemont not long after. Cameras were rolling Friday afternoon in Valparaiso when it happened again. Another car ignored the stop arm while Aldridge's seven-year-old son was hopping off.
Parents said they're glad the area is getting more attention, but there's still more work to be done to educate the public.
"When you're sitting here and you're watching your kid get off and there's traffic going 50 (m.p.h.) past them, it's unnerving," Aldridge said.
In Indiana, passing a stopped school bus is a Class B misdemeanor which could result in $1,000 fine.