BROOKINGS – The Brookings School District and law enforcement want motorists to pay greater attention when around school buses to keep students safe.

Too often, drivers refuse to slow down when school buses prepare to stop, with vehicles even illegally passing by the bus’s stop arm.

This is an ongoing safety issue, said Brookings School District Transportation Director Bill Heldt. He estimates that about three or four times a week, these drivers illegally go around stopped buses.

These problems spring up all over the bus routes, inside and outside of the City of Brookings, and violators range from teens to adults.

“We just want to bring awareness to this and let them know that they need to stop,” Heldt said. “We just need the public’s help for the safety of the children.”

According to South Dakota law, it is still legal to pass a bus when its amber lights are flashing, though this must be done no faster than 15 mph.

Drivers who meet a bus with red signal lights flashing must stop completely 15 feet away from the bus, however, and must stay stopped until the red lights are turned off.

Those rules do not apply for motorists traveling in the opposite direction of the bus when there are two or more lanes of traffic in each direction.

Violating these laws is considered a Class 2 misdemeanor with a fine up to $500 and/or up to 30 days in jail.

Brookings County Sheriff Marty Stanwick confirmed that his department already issued a citation for this on Aug. 22, the first day of school.

“Drivers just need to pay attention. We got to remember that school is back in session. When they’re following or approaching a school bus, if the school bus is getting close to a development or a residence, just watch and be prepared to watch for those yellow lights coming on,” Stanwick said.

To help prosecute those drivers who break this law, Heldt is in the process of installing $500 high-speed cameras on each of the district’s 21 buses. With these cameras, he can slow the footage down enough to take down all the relevant information: the vehicle, the license plate number and even a description of the driver in most cases.

This is a big help for bus drivers, who previously either had to recall all that information later and write out the form to be sent to law enforcement or else write it out just after it happened, while still trying to care for their student passengers. It’s also helpful since these problems seem to happen especially on highway roads, where traffic travels at least 55 mph.

“It’s not like we don’t warn them (motorists). When I pull up on 22nd, as soon as I turn the corner, within a quarter mile, I’ll put on the hazards. Get a little closer, I’ll put on the yellow lights, warning people that this bus is about to stop. Then when I get to the actual driveway, I’ll get the red lights and put out the stop arm. And people still run it!” school bus driver Joe Konshak said.

Heldt believes distracted drivers and drivers in a hurry to reach their destination are both at issue here, as is plain ignorance of what they are supposed to do when meeting a stopping or stopped bus.

Thankfully, accidents between motorists and school buses haven’t been much of an issue. The only one of note that Heldt could recall was one in 2014 when a vehicle rear-ended a bus.

Even though there haven’t been many accidents, with as many as 1,000 children using school buses and the frequency with which drivers ignore stopped buses, Heldt doesn’t want the district’s luck to run out.

One option for motorists who are frustrated with buses stopping on their routes is to leave earlier.

“With school in session, I think it’s good for everyone to maybe start their day five, 10 minutes earlier, just to be safe,” Heldt said.

Contact Eric Sandbulte at esandbulte@brookingsregister.com.