Police enforce school bus safety in Chartiers Valley SD

COLLIER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Collier Township Police Department hosted a School Bus Safety Blitz on Monday in the Chartiers Valley School District.

Police from Collier, Bridgeville, Scott and Heidelberg conducted traffic enforcement and education focused on school bus safety.

From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., officers aggressively enforced school bus traffic safety violations, according to a release. They focused on areas where violations have been reported.

Educational material was handed out by officers, who also issued citations and warnings to violators.

Collier Township Police Chief Craig Campbell said his department cited at least 10 drivers.

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“Particularly on four-lane, non-divided highways and at intersections, people seem to not stop in those areas. They think they're allowed to pass, and they're not. If a school bus is stopped at one leg of the intersection, the whole intersection has to stop,” Campbell said.

School bus drivers were educated by the school district on observing, preventing and reporting safety violations committed by motorists on their bus routes.

"It's a common complaint. We get this every year when school starts," Campbell said. "We stopped already eight or ten vehicles for passing school buses this morning."

In addition, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation educated students at the primary school about student safety on school buses and at bus stops.

The Chartiers Valley School District is also using technology to keep students and drivers safe.

Many of its buses have cameras on the inside or outside that are constantly recording. Those cameras can also capture a license plate if a driver passes the bus.

Cox Media Group