Orem police conduct undercover sting on motorists who ignore school bus stop signs


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OREM — Police conducted an undercover blitz Thursday afternoon as officers looked for drivers who didn't stop for school buses with flashing red lights.

It’s a daily occurrence, according to Shaun Adams, the transportation director for the Alpine School District. He hears frequent reports from bus drivers about violators.

Orem Police Lt. Craig Martinez said it is particularly concerning for the bus drivers, who fear a child can get hit when they get off the bus.

“You have kids, especially little kids, that sometimes don’t look when they cross the street and big trucks driving by these buses who can’t see these kids … ultimately, what we don’t want is a child getting hit when they get off the bus,” Martinez said.

In 2017, the KSL Investigators looked at this problem and found Utah drivers ran school bus stop signs nearly 1,500 times in one day.

On Thursday, five Orem officers in unmarked cars followed buses on their routes after school, as the buses took home both junior high and elementary students.

State law requires vehicles to stop in both directions when a bus stops and flashes its red lights.

KSL Investigates:

While most drivers are patient and obey the law, there are some who are not, Martinez said, which Thursday’s operation on the streets of Orem reflected.

In total, two citations were issued Thursday during the sting operation.

“Two people went by the buses, even with the stop sign out and flashing lights on,” Martinez said. “And that is pretty good, we don’t hope for people to break the law and so, fortunately, today in Orem, the drivers were pretty good about it.”

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