Brookville Mother Voices Concerns About Traffic Near School Buses

BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) — A Brookville mother has raised concerns about drivers not stopping for school buses picking up and dropping off children in the borough.

Annoria Schreckengost lives on West Main Street and she is a mother of four kids from the ages of 7 to 19.

“There are drivers, even mail delivery trucks, that are going around the school buses when they are stopped and have their stop signs displayed.

“My son almost got hit and he’s a senior in school and he knows to pay attention when he’s crossing the street,” Schreckengost said. “And my elementary kids have to cross the street and it’s just not safe.

“The police know this is going on and it doesn’t seem enough is being done. The people that do get caught, they never seem to get a license revocation, they get a $150 fine and that’s it.

“(A police officer) told me that they really can’t rely on my information when I try to turn people into the police. And there was a court date for one of these people and (the officer) didn’t show up for it.”

“The police are supposed to serve and protect, correct?” Schreckengost said.

Brookville Chief of Police Jason Brown replied to Schreckengost’s comments.

“First of all, our officers are required to be in court for those hearings and that’s something I will look into myself,” Brown said.

“When it comes to what happens in court, we can’t influence judges and how they will rule, but I agree with you totally, the kids should not be crossing the street,” Brown said.

Pennsylvania has had laws on the books for years regarding other vehicles stopping when they are stopping or dropping off or picking up children.

Here are the laws, according to penndot.gov.

•Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended;

•Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped;

•Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety;

•If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping;

•Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.

The possible penalties if convicted of violating Pennsylvania’s school bus stopping law include a $250 fine, a 60-day license suspension and five points on the driving record.