The Arizona Department of Transportation has announced a more streamlined system for warning motorists spotted by school bus drivers passing the buses’ extended stop signs.
About 13,000 motorists each year are reported by Arizona school bus drivers for not stopping as instructed. But the only way bus drivers could file those reports was by faxing a form to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which then emailed or faxed the info to the Motor Vehicle Division.
A new online form is designed to simplify and speed up the process.
“They see someone running the stop sign when it's activated, they can fill out the form and the MVD can take that info and find the registered owner of that vehicle and they will send them a warning letter letting them know about the seriousness of running that stop sign," said Ryan Harding with ADOT.
The notifications are not citations. But Arizona drivers caught passing a school bus while the stop arm is extended can face civil penalties and possibly a suspended license.
