Crime & Safety
Lots Of Bellevue Drivers Ignore School Bus Stop Signs
It's illegal to pass school buses when students are getting on or off. Hundreds of drivers in Bellevue are ignoring the law.
BELLEVUE, WA - Even one is too many, but hundreds of people in Bellevue are ignoring school bus stop signs, according to the Bellevue School District.
In 2017, the district decided to install cameras on about 20 percent of its school bus fleet. The goal was to stop people from ignoring the stop paddles that school bus drivers deploy when students are getting on or off buses. Under state law, illegally passing a bus with stop paddles deployed can mean a $419 fine.
After installing the cameras, the district gave drivers a grace period between Dec. 3 and winter break to get used to them. Drivers who ignored the stop paddles during that time got a warning instead of a ticket.
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During that period, 156 drivers - 10.4 per day - illegally passed school buses.
That grace period is now over. Starting Jan. 7, drivers who are caught on camera illegally passing a bus will get a ticket.
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Consider this your first warning - or for 156 of you out there, your second warning.
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