EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KOAA) — This week is School Bus Safety Week, and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office is trying to raise awareness.
They say people passing school buses and speeding in school zones is a problem in the county.
Before May of this year, if there were two double yellow painted lines in the middle of the road, oncoming traffic did not have to stop for a bus. But since May, there now has to be a raised or repressed median like a ditch or a curb for oncoming traffic not having to stop.
El Paso County has been at the top of the list for traffic fatalities for the past few years. A ticket for passing a stopped school bus with its lights and stop sign out is six points on your license and requires a mandatory court appearance.
"People get frustrated with us," said Sgt. Jason Haag, Supervisor of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit. "When we write those tickets, it's a painful lesson sometime(s) for them to learn. But, it's one we're going to do each and every time. There's zero tolerance for it because again, our children's lives are not negotiable."
The sheriff's office wants to remind drivers when they see a school bus or are in a school zone, remember to slow down and pay attention.
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