Arlington Police hitched a ride on a district school bus Tuesday morning and issued more than a dozen tickets to motorists.
The ride-along was part of a program to help crack down on unsafe drivers around school buses -- specifically drivers who ignore school bus stop signs.
The operation started at about 8 a.m. and will took place on Cooper Street and Pioneer Parkway. An APD officer rode the bus with students to Bailey Junior High and if notified nearby motorcycle officers of offenders.
In all, officers ticketed 10 drivers for passing a school bus and three for offenses found after the driver passed the school bus. The fine for running a school bus stop sign costs up to $420.
So how do you avoid getting a ticket? If a bus stops and the stop sign swings out from the driver's side, traffic behind the bus and traffic on the opposite side must stop until the sign retracts.
Arlington police said the only exception is if there is a "raised concrete median" on the street. In that case, only traffic behind the bus is supposed to stop.
