Iowa law prohibits vehicles from passing a stopped school bus in any direction.

“When you have children that are getting off the bus or getting onto a bus, sometimes they’re not going to be alert to what’s going on with vehicles coming or going,” said Iowa State Patrol Trooper Paul Gardner. “That’s why it is very important that drivers are aware of the school buses.”

According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, when approaching a bus from the rear and seeing flashing red or amber warning lights, you should be prepared to stop. When the bus stops and extends the “stop arm,” stop at least 15 feet behind the rear of the bus and remain stopped until the stop arm is retracted and the bus begins to move again. The rules are the same when driving on a road with two or more lanes in each direction.

When approaching a bus from the front and seeing amber warning lights, slow down to no more than 20 miles per hour and be prepared to stop, the IDOT says. If the stop arm is extended, remain stopped until the stop arm is retracted. On a road with two or more lanes in each direction, traffic moving in the opposite direction must slow down and proceed with caution when either red or yellow flashers are present, according to the Department of Transportation.

Brad Niemeyer, director of transportation for the Fort Dodge Community School District, said his drivers see other motorists illegally pass school buses far too often.

“I’ve seen people passing on the left side, on the right side, basically not stopping for the eight-way lights that are flashing on the back,” Niemeyer said.

According to Gardner, the first offense for illegally passing a school bus has a minimum fine of $345 and a maximum fine of $675. The court can also impose jail time and the IDOT can suspend the driver’s license because illegal passing of a school bus is a serious moving violation.

“It’s just so important for people to be aware of the school buses coming and the amber lights flashing to really, really slow down and anticipate that the bus is going to be stopping,” Niemeyer said. “It might take a couple of minutes, but you could save a kid’s life in those couple of minutes.”

All of the newer buses in the FDCSD fleet are equipped with stop arm cameras that can capture images of a vehicle passing a stopped school bus, collecting the car make and license number so that the driver can be identified and cited for the violation, Niemeyer said. Bus drivers can also record license plate numbers and report them to the school district’s bus dispatch.

“Our No. 1 goal is safety,” Niemeyer said. “I have got a great bunch of drivers. They do the best they possibly can to get kids to school and home as safely as possible.”