Authorities concerned about drivers ignoring stopped school buses

Just days before Christmas, a pickup truck driver passed a motorist that had stopped for a school bus unloading children on the right, then blew past the bus that had its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, narrowly missing two grade-school-age children crossing the street.

Video of the Dec. 21 incident near Willow River, Minn., went viral, and led to charges against the pickup truck driver.

It was hardly an isolated case.

From 2018 through 2022, court records show more than 2,000 motorists have been cited for disobeying state law requiring drivers to stop at least 20 feet away from the bus and remain motionless until the stop-signal arm has been retracted and the red lights are no longer flashing.

Police in Wayzata have seen their share of violations, too. Since the school year began, officers have tagged 30 drivers for ignoring school bus stop arms, including five motorists charged with a gross misdemeanor in recent months because children were outside the bus at the time.

No one has been hit or hurt — yet — but “it’s alarming and frustrating because you are one moment away from disaster,” said officer Brandon Haapoja.

Haapoja has handed out many of the tickets in Wayzata after the department received complaints about stop arm violations and stepped up patrols. Haapoja had been the department’s school resource officer but was pulled from school buildings after the Legislature passed a law last year that brought into question how resource officers could react to unruly students.

Unable to be inside school buildings, Police Chief Marc Schultz said he was looking for a way to keep students safe, and focusing on stop arm violations was one way to do that. Haapoja set up watch at several bus stops — particularly along four-lane Central Avenue — where many of the violations have occurred.

“It was more than I care to see,” he said.

Police have also used camera footage from buses that have recorded drivers’ bad behavior. While that is not enough to issue a ticket — officers have to prove who was driving — it has allowed police to track down the vehicle’s registered owner and have a conversation, Schultz said.

“We want to educate,” he added.

As for why drivers are not stopping, confusion seems to be a common theme, Haapoja said. Many don’t realize that they have to stop for a school bus that is loading or unloading on one side of a wide road like Central Avenue while they are on the other side. But ignorance is no excuse.

“When you apply for a driver’s license, you must certify, by signing the application, that you understand that you must stop for a school bus and are aware of the penalties for violating this law,” the Minnesota Drivers Manual says.

So let’s review the rules. Drivers in both directions must stop when meeting a stopped school bus with lights flashing on any undivided roadway, regardless of how many lanes there are. Drivers are not required to stop if traveling on the opposite side of a road divided with a barrier such as a concrete median, the driver’s manual says.

Haapoja is imploring drivers to stop for school buses and avoid a fine that could reach $500. But more importantly, drivers should stop “for the safety of the children.”