PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Pulaski County Attorney Martin Hatfield is cracking down on drivers who try to ignore safety laws when sharing the roads with school buses.
Bus drivers say that people try to beat the bus before it comes to a complete stop. In Somerset, Hatfield is putting the word out to potential offenders of the law.
"First of all, it's an arrestable offense," he said. "For the first offense, it's 100 or 200 dollar fine or 30 to 60 days in jail or both."
The district's 10,000 students head back to class on Wednesday and he promises to aggressively prosecute those who ignore school bus safety. Hatfield says it is simple, if you see flashing lights, it is time to stop.
He showed LEX 18's Leigh Searcy that law, which states, "Passing a stopped school or church bus is prohibited...*with the stop arm and signal lights activated.* Many buses have cameras at different angles, he encourages school bus drivers to get criminal complaints through his officer to report unsafe drivers.
"I hope it just plants a seed in the back of people's mind to be on the lookout for it, it's kid time again, watch them and be safe," said Hatfield.
His message must be working, he said he puts out this reminder before school every year and he sees very few offenders.
Kentucky State Police shared this video about School Bus Safety.
