Baltimore County Police Step Up Ticketing Motorists Ignoring School Bus Stop Signs
TOWSON, Md. (WJZ)-- Now that kids are back in school after the holiday break, bus drivers report more motorists ignoring their stop signs and flashing lights.
As Mike Schuh reports, police are stepping in.
When driver Joe Bryant heads out in his school bus, he's certain a scene captured on YouTube will play out--a motorist ignoring, and driving around, the stop sign and flashing lights.
"So it's just about every day you can see this, with me and other buses driving along," Bryant said.
This happens so often, he simply doesn't trust motorists. One day, in his mirror, Bryant saw a car passing on the right.
"Yes, I literally have had to grab a kid by his coat," he said.
Besides the obvious safety implications of ignoring the stop sign, it could cost you your license and a lot of money-- three points and up to $600.
"This is something we do as a rolling enforcement situation," Det. Cathy Batton of the Baltimore County Police Department said.
In other words, police are stepping up their enforcement.
"Our officers, our details are in marked police cars and they still witness motorists passing these school buses," Batton said.
As for Bryant, you don't have to remind him what's at stake.
"Once these kids get on my bus these are my kids," he said.
Baltimore County Police won't say when they'll end their enforcement efforts. So far, they've written nearly 300 tickets in the past 12 months.
