Worthington school buses to get stop arm cameras with $60,000 grant

Mar. 31—WORTHINGTON — Passing a school bus when its stop arm is out and its red lights are flashing is dangerous to students, illegal and expensive, with a minimum fine of $500 — and soon Worthington drivers who break that rule will have a much greater chance of being caught.

That's because Bud's Bus Service, which provides transportation services for District 518, is getting cameras on its school bus stop arms, thanks to a $60,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety.

"That will allow me to put stop arm (cameras) on everything. That makes our job easy and the police department's easy," said Darla Fritz, one of the owners of Bud's.

Currently, if a driver passes a school bus with its stop arm out and lights flashing, the company calls Worthington Police Department with the license plate number. An officer interviews the driver to find out what happened, gathering as much information as possible, and then the case goes forward from there.

It happens about 50 times a year for the buses serving District 518, and most of the time, it happens with oncoming traffic rather than vehicles behind the school bus.

By Minnesota law, vehicles are required to stop 20 feet away from the bus when its stop arm is out and red lights are flashing, allowing kids a moment or two of safety to embark or disembark from the vehicle and get to a sidewalk or lawn.

That time is important, as students can be small and hard for drivers to see, particularly if other obstacles are present. Young people also sometimes show little situational awareness and more impulsivity than adults, moving suddenly or in directions a driver might not expect.

"Kids are unpredictable. I think that's the biggest part," said Chris Kielblock, a manager at Bud's.

While some of the buses already have cameras, they can only get a rear shot of the illegally-passing vehicle, Fritz explained. The new cameras will get front and back shots as well, making the vehicles and their drivers much easier to identify.

"It's a pretty clear shot," Fritz said.

While the company has until October to install them, they hope to do it sooner, by the time school starts in August.

What they and their drivers would really like, though, is for the cameras to become completely unnecessary.

"If we had zero a week, that would be a perfect world," Fritz said. "I don't know if people don't understand they need to stop, or what."

After the morning rush on Friday, a group of Bud's drivers clustered around a table in a company break room, sipping coffee and chatting.

One driver said she'd been passed by a person who, after getting by the bus, looked at the bus driver, went a little farther and paused, clearly realizing they'd broken the law. It was the second time that bus driver has been passed this year.

Another driver said he preferred country routes because it happens less there.

Bus drivers must always be alert, not just for traffic and other drivers who aren't watching, but for kids who aren't watching either, and step in front of the bus. Even bikes and e-bikes can prove hazardous, particularly if they aren't obeying the traffic laws.

The group of bus drivers agreed that it's particularly irritating when drivers only slow down to a creep rather than stopping for the sign and lights, because it's not always clear whether they actually will stop or not.

"You cannot let the kid out until the vehicle is actually stopped," a driver said.

"Pay attention to the big yellow school bus," another advised.

"If the amber lights are on, prepare to stop," one chimed in.

"And get off the phone!"