Police caution drivers on bus safety as kids head back to class

BEECH GROVE, Ind. — The school year is starting for some Indiana students and police have a message for anyone driving near school zones.

Beech Grove students are back in class as of Wednesday and their buses are back on the roads.

While kids are waiting at the bus stop, cars passing by should be aware of what’s going on around them.

School Resource Officer Nathan Rinks added kids also need to follow the rules of the road.

“Reach out to that school district and let them know because we’ll talk to those kids and say,’Hey, you know, we got reports or we saw a video of you running out in front of a car or throwing rocks or whatever it is that’s creating an unsafe situation,’” he said.

Crossing guards are also at many busy intersections to help students walk or bike to school.

Overall, Rinks encouraged drivers to slow down and pay attention, including young student drivers.

“There are people who are just driving too fast and are looking at their phone, they’re distracted, and before they realize the bus is stopped, they’re going around and blowing past the stop arm,” said Rinks.

He said that impatient drivers flying by the bus stop arm is a problem everywhere and central Indiana is no exception.

In 2023, bus drivers around Indianapolis recorded more than 2,000 cars ignoring the flashing red lights in a single day.

However, officers try to be vigilant to get students to school safely.

“They try to put officers strategically throughout the city, where the buses are going to be to watch for those stop arms,” he said. “I believe they already wrote tickets to two people yesterday.”

Rinks added stop arm violations are one of the worst non-alcohol-related driving charges to receive.

“You do not want to get a stop on violation,” he said. “It will really affect your insurance, it’s gonna give you lots of points, it’s going to cost a lot of money, and that’s just if you go through it without hurting somebody.”

Drivers who violate the stop-arm law can be fined up to $10,000 and have their license suspended for upwards of 90 days.

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