LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Clark County Sheriff's deputies are trying to prevent dangerous drivers that could be putting the safety of children at risk.

Clark County school bus drivers said they see drivers speed past their stopped bus signs every other day. It happens mostly in the morning in residential neighborhoods.

The early hours can be the most dangerous.

"A lot of loss of patience," said Jeremy Vonsenden, a father of three children who attend Greater Clark County Schools. "The biggest thing for me is not necessarily the bus ride itself. It's how people act around the buses."

None of Vonsenden's children ride the school bus, but he worries about riders safety.

"Once you have kids and you see the way people drive through neighborhoods, it really hits home," Vonsenden said.

Clark County Sheriff Scottie Maple posted that deputies have "observed a concerning number of stop arm violations." Drivers aren't stopping even when they see a red stop sign flashing on the left of a school bus.

Protection for Indiana school bus routes changed after a 2018 incident near Indianapolis, when three siblings were trying to cross a rural road to board the bus. That's when a driver hit and killed them.

State law requires drivers to stop when a school bus's stop arm is extended and red lights are flashing. The law applies to traffic in both directions, unless the road is divided by a physical barrier or median.

In partnership with the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, Clark County Sheriff's Office is adding deputies around school buses.

"It shows that they care," said Jermaine Brown, whose two girls ride the school bus. "I get to stand on the porch. Kiss them off in the morning and watch them get on the bus and that's how they start their morning."

Brown said people need to be more observant and courteous to school buses on the road.

"Pay attention," Brown said. "Because if it was someone else's kid, they would feel the same exact way as another parent would."

CLARK CO BUS STOP ARM ISSUES

Greater Clark County Schools bus.

"Once you have kids and you see the way people drive through neighborhoods, it really hits home," said Vonsenden.

Last year, Jeremy Vonsenden got a citation for running a bus stop sign. A sheriff immediately pulled him over.

"I got a ticket because I didn't pay attention to the stop sign," Vonsenden said. "I pulled over on the side of the road. I was already kind of past the bus so I decided to go ahead and drive on. There was an officer coming up soon as he hit his lights. I waved at him, absolutely write me the ticket. I know. I screwed up. But we got to be careful."

Vonsenden wants drivers to be mindful around school buses.

"You see it every day on the roads," Vonsenden said. "It's just slow down. Take your time. There's nothing that you're doing that's that important."

U.S. Department of Transportation reported more than 100 people die each year in school-transportation-related crashes. 1,125 people died from 2011 to 2020 in similar crashes.

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