EVANSVILLE — Indiana State Police is begging drivers to do better after school bus drivers across the state reported more than 2,500 stop arm violations in one day last month.

Sgt. Todd Ringle is the Public Information Officer for Indiana State Police’s Evansville District. He tweeted Monday, saying drivers committed 2,530 April 23.

“On April 23, school bus drivers throughout Indiana documented every stop arm violation that occurred during their morning & afternoon routes,” he wrote. “According tot eh Dept. of Education, 2,530 stop arm violations occurred. WE MUST do better than this. Our precious cargo depends on us.”

Last year, three children in northern Indiana died when a driver hit them while they were going to their bus stop. Another boy survived the crash, but was in the hospital for about a month.

Since the tragic incident, the state legislature has backed tougher penalties for drivers who pass stopped buses. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill May 1 that allows a court to suspend a driver’s license for 90 days if the driver passes a school bus with its stop arm out. The same law increases the penalty for drivers who have previously committed stop arm violations.

The new law goes into effect July 1.

Source: WTHR