CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Law enforcement is speaking out about the importance of stopping for school bus stop arms after a Conway Middle School student was hit by a mini van that did not stop for the bus, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
S.C. Highway Patrol says the driver disregarded the bus’s stop arm and was charged. The student who was hit was sent to the hospital. So far there are no updates on the student’s condition.
According to the Horry County School District, around two to four people drive through the school bus stop arms in the county each day, most often during the afternoons and in congested areas.
“The most common thing we hear is either they didn’t see the bus or they were in a hurry. Well, that bus stop is only going to take up about two minutes of your day, and the consequences of those two minutes you save- hitting a child, hurting a child, possibly killing a child- it’s just not worth it,” Cpl. Sonny Collins with the S.C. Highway Patrol said.
Cpl. Collins says troopers enforce the school bus stop law through reports from bus drivers, putting troopers onto the buses and using undercover patrol cars, but he says one of the most effective ways is hearing directly from the public about where there are problems.
“We’ve sent a trooper out to that area to look and see if we can find those violations as well and often we can,” Cpl. Collins said.
The penalty for running a school bus stop arm is a fine of more than $1,000 and six points off your driver’s license.
