Widefield School District 3 is on pace to surpass last year's total of bus stop-arm violations before the school year has barely begun, prompting renewed concern about student safety along El Paso County roads.
The district confirmed 18 instances of drivers failing to stop for school buses in just the first month of the current school year — compared with 10 during that same window a year ago. Transportation director Jason Schwartz said the numbers are worrying, and that the true count is likely higher because some incidents cannot be confirmed.
The violation figures come during the second year of a state law that took effect last summer, requiring motorists traveling in either direction — whether following a school bus or approaching it from the opposite lane — to come to a full stop whenever a bus displays flashing lights and has its stop-arm out, with an exception only for roads where a median or physical barrier divides opposing traffic.
One location that has drawn particular attention is along Highway 85/87 near the Elm Crest Mobile Home Park, where buses pull onto the road's shoulder close to the park's entrance. Drivers traveling behind the bus tend to stop, but a majority of those coming from the other direction do not. The stop's position along the highway shoulder may lead some motorists to conclude, incorrectly, that the law does not apply to them there.
Cameras mounted on many buses are capable of capturing the license plates of vehicles that fail to stop, with that footage then passed along to law enforcement — but vehicles frequently move past a stopped bus so quickly that plate numbers are not legible in the recording. Schwartz told KRDO that the district had looked into investing in higher-grade camera systems that could better identify violators, but that no funding is currently available for such an upgrade.
Motorists who are cited under the law face serious consequences, including a required appearance before a judge and a deduction of points from their driver's license. The safety logic behind the requirement is straightforward: many students must cross the street directly in front of the bus to reach their homes, and each driver who fails to stop puts a child's life at risk.
Concern about stop-arm violations in the Colorado Springs area predates the current law, with Academy District 20 flagging the problem the year before the statute took effect.
Whether the district's confirmed violation total continues to climb as the school year progresses, and whether any funding path emerges for improved camera technology, are questions that remain open.