SHEBOYGAN — SHEBOYGAN — A Sheboygan school bus driver says he has caught more than two dozen drivers speeding past his red warning lights so far this school year.
He is worried a child could get hurt, or even worse. Now he has his own camera in tow to catch them.
We start with one video of the end of the first day of 4K. Video shows a four year old who had just stepped off the bus. Even with flashing red lights, the stop sign extended and Joe Lamb slamming on his horn, four more cars speed by.
We asked how old the students were. Lamb answered, “four years old. Preschool kids, 4K. That could have turned out so bad."
Here are the three most common scenarios in which drivers should know what to do:
- A two lane road: According to Wisconsin law, drivers on both sides of the street must stop as least 20 feet behind any school bus that has stopped and is flashing red warning lights.
- A four lane road with a turn lane in the middle. Both sides must stop at least 20 feet behind and across the street from the bus that is stopped.
- A four lane road with a barrier unpaved center. All lanes on the side with the bus must stop at least 20 feet. The opposite direction can proceed, but with caution.
- If you fail to stop for a school bus when the red lights are flashing, it is is a $250 fine.
Lamb lets his camera run to catch violators. He edits the video and sends it to law enforcement.
In fact, he has two potential violators he plans to hand to the sheriff from Monday alone.
We spoke with Sheboygan County Sheriff Cory Roeseler about how much this helps during investigations. “Oh sure, it's helpful, obviously. That statute allows bus drivers to get the license plate, fill out a form for us. We can issue the citation in this case; the gentleman is going above and beyond," said Roeseler.
Lamb, who has driven a school bus for 17 years, says, “When you send kids to school, you expect them to be safe on the way to school and on the way home to school.”
