Drivers urged to be cautious near school buses

It’s National School Bus Safety Week, and the most dangerous time for kids might surprise you.

School, transportation and law enforcement officials said the most dangerous time for kids is when they get on and off the school bus.

“Two and three cars run through the stop sign all at the same time, as the kids are crossing we have seen kids kids getting off the bus, someone gets tired of waiting for the bus so they come around the bus on the right-hand-side door side as those kids are stepping off the bus,” said transportation supervisor Karen Judy.

There is a camera system on these buses. It captures when a car runs past a school bus.

“A car comes up along the right-hand-side through the gravel and just spins right on by just missing two of my students,” said bus driver Darlene Bender.

“My stepdaughter was getting off a school bus in Wyoming, and a vehicle failed to stop and hit and killed her in our front yard,” said Deputy Daniel Sperry. “Because of that i am i want to make sure that all kids are safe.”

The drivers and the kids are trained on what to do in an emergency.

“We do evacuation drills with our kids; we go over a lot of scenarios with our kids,” said Judy.

Although there have been some close calls, deputies said no kids have been hit in Idaho Falls.

School, transportation and law enforcement officials all stress that stop-arm violations can lead to serious consequences.