SHEBOYGAN, Wisc. — When a local school bus driver got tired of reckless drivers failing to yield to his stop signs and flashing lights, he took matters into his own hands.
Since bus driver Joe Lamb installed a camera on his bus earlier this school year, he says he's caught 30 drivers speeding past his red warning lights.
He is worried a child could get hurt — or worse.
One video showed five cars speeding by Lamb's bus — even though Lamb had his stop sign extended, his lights flashing and his horn blaring.
The video was taken on the first day of four-year-old Kindergarten, moments after a child had stepped off the bus.
"That could have turned out so bad," Lamb said.
Wisconsin, like several other states, requires drivers to stop in the following situations:
- On a two-lane road: According to Wisconsin law, drivers on both sides of the street must stop at least 20 feet behind any school bus that has stopped and is flashing red warning lights.
- On a four-lane road with a turn lane in the middle: Both sides must stop at least 20 feet behind and across the street from the bus that is stopped.
- On a four-lane road with a barrier unpaved center: All lanes on the side with the bus must stop at least 20 feet. The opposite direction can proceed, but with caution.
Anyone failing to stop for a school bus in Wisconsin when its red lights are flashing is subject to a $250 fine — and Lamb has been sending recordings of violators to police. In fact, he has two potential violators he plans to hand to the sheriff from Monday alone.
"Oh sure, it's helpful, obviously," Sheboygan County Sheriff Cory Roeseler said. "That statute allows bus drivers to get the license plate, fill out a form for us. We can issue the citation in this case; the gentleman is going above and beyond."
"When you send kids to school, you expect them to be safe on the way to school and on the way home to school," Roeseler added.
This story was originally published by Julia Fello on Scripps station TMJ4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
