GREENVILLE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Deputies say more drivers are ignoring school bus stop signs and putting kids’ lives in danger.
In the town of Greenville, hundreds of kids get on school buses almost every day.
For neighbors like Kathy Mertz, who see it, it’s hard not to be concerned.
“It’s easy for people to just drive past,” Mertz said, “Our kids use to have to walk across the street when they were younger and it’s always been something I worry about, that they would get hit by a car passing by.”
The Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office say complaints of cars not stopping for school buses have gone up.
“Throughout the county, we might get 1 to 2 school complaints a day, right now in the mornings alone, we get easily 6 to 8 complaints,” said Sgt. Borman.
Borman said they’re unsure why the complaints are up.
“We’re increasing our patrols on a daily basis, especially in the Greenville area but also throughout the county,” explained Borman.
He said drivers need to remember that kids are unpredictable.
“As one parent accurately described it to me, he said ‘I have a 5-year-old, if my 5-year-old’s art project blows away in the wind, her first instinct is to run right after that’,” said Borman.
Authorities say if a bus has flashing red lights and its stop sign out, you need to stop, no matter what side of the road you’re on.
On highways separated by a median, only drivers behind the bus need to stop.
“If drivers are distracted, if drivers aren’t paying attention, who knows what can happen, and we need to prevent that tragedy,” said Borman.
If drivers fail to stop for a school bus, they could receive a citation up to $343. Deputies say a school bus violation can also add four points to your license.
