New Sewickley police remind drivers to yield to pedestrians and stop for school buses

NEW SEWICKLEY, Pa. (KDKA) -- Parents in the Freedom Area School District are not happy with people's careless driving. Police in New Sewickley Township put out a post calling on drivers to pay better attention near the schools.

The department said they have gotten numerous complaints about drivers not paying attention to crosswalks, but the problem is beyond just that. There are other problems they have seen that are putting children at risk.

It's a simple concept: if someone is walking in the crosswalk, drivers are to yield to them. According to the New Sewickley Township police, that's not happening near the Freedom Area School District campus. Even though the school year is still young, the complaints are adding up.

"They're risking the safety of the children and the staff of the school," New Sewickley Township Police Chief Greg Carney said.

Unfortunately, there is an ongoing problem of drivers blowing by buses that are stopped with their red lights flashing. Carney said this is normal around the start of the year, but the problem never went away last year. They've been issuing citations to drivers.

"We issued several last year and it's continuing again this year. It's becoming a real problem," Carney said.

Some of the buses have cameras to catch drivers who show no regard for the law. Around the township, signs have been set up to remind drivers about the proper protocol of stopping behind a bus and the punishment if they decide to be reckless. The chief said drivers usually have one of three excuses when they are pulled over.

"I was in a hurry. I wasn't paying attention or I didn't know I had to stop," Carney said.

Punishments for not yielding to pedestrians in a crosswalk is a fine. Driving past a stopped school bus is a fine and a 60-day license suspension.

"It's children trying to go to school. They're defenseless crossing the road. We just have to pay attention and slow down," Carney said.

The chief said the department is working with PennDOT on some videos to remind drivers on how to keep everyone safe.