Authorities urge drivers to be careful near school buses to ensure the safety of children

SALT LAKE CITY — A dangerous trend among Utah drivers and school buses is raising concerns about child safety.

Police and other authorities are trying to put an end to this and make it known before the start of the new school year.

According to the Utah Department of Transportation, several Utah school districts and the Utah Department of Public Safety, the problem is that too many drivers ignore the stop signs on their buses and the flashing red lights, endangering children getting on and off the bus.

In the videos released by the DPS, you can see some examples: Car after car fails to stop when the stop sign is extended. Authorities said drivers should stop when they see the stop sign being extended. Otherwise, children could be injured.

A bus driver in the Salt Lake City School District said she sees this every day. Last year, she was almost the victim of an accident.

“As a girl was getting off the bus, a car pulled up from the side. I had to quickly slam the door in her face because if she had gotten off, she would have been hit by the car,” said Nachol Workman.

Stopping at this sign is also required by law, and cars that fail to do so face fines starting at $1,000 and several hours of community service.

The authorities want drivers to pay more attention to school buses when they are on the road. This applies to car drivers as well as people on bicycles or e-scooters. If everyone pays attention, children who use the bus will be safer on the road, they say.