A recent amendment to Arizona law (ARS 28-857) requires that all school bus drivers operate the red and white stop signal sign and flashing lights for passengers loading or unloading from the school bus whether the bus is stopped on the roadway, private road, or driveway.
In the past, bus drivers did not need to operate the stop arm and lights if the bus stopped on a private road or driveway.
Pima County deputies will continue to monitor drivers in and around school zones and school buses.
The Traffic Section, specifically, has performed traffic enforcement duties related to school zones from the middle of August to date, and the deputies have issued citations for the following:
Violation / Number of citations
Speed violations / 97
School Zone Speed violations / 57
Parking Citations / 15
Seatbelt violations / 6
Driving on Suspended License / 3
Failure to obey traffic control device / 3
Illegal Lamp covers / 3
No insurance / 2
Red light violations / 1
Passing in school zone / 1
No license / 1
Warnings / 25
A first offense for illegally passing a school bus is a minimum fine of $250. Those convicted of another violation within three years can be fined a minimum of $750 and lose their driver’s license privileges for up to six months. A third violation increases the fine to at least $1,000 and the loss of a driver’s license for up to a year.