Drivers will face a hefty fine if they are caught illegally passing Bellevue school buses once new cameras are installed in October.
Stop-paddle cameras, which act like red-light cameras at an intersection, will be installed on 20 percent of Bellevue School District buses by the second week of October. After a grace period, drivers caught passing a school bus when its red lights are flashing and stop arm is out face a $419 ticket.
"We realize this is a large fine, which is why we are making a concerted effort to inform our community of this change prior to implementation," a notice from the school district reads.
When a school bus is stopped on a two-lane road both directions of traffic must stop, according to state law.
Drivers on a road with three lanes or more must stop if they are in the same lane as the bus. Those traveling in the opposite direction can keep driving.
Drivers heading in the opposite direction of a school bus do not need to stop if there is a middle turn lane, median, or island.
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