Passing Stopped School Buses Is Still a Problem in Maine

Passing a stopped school bus while its lights are on and flashing is a Class E crime here in Maine, punishable by a fine of $250 for the first offense and a mandatory 30 day license suspension for a second.

And that's getting off lightly if the driver doesn't hit a child. Drivers simply have to do a better job for the safety of children.

Drivers know the law: when the bus is stopped and the lights are flashing they must stop until the bus driver signals it's clear. Yet some motorists continue to pass, sometimes not even slowing down.

Chris McDonald, owner of Windham Powersports, began recording the incidents at the bus stop where he drops of his daughter. Almost daily, without fail, a driver or drivers ignore the flashing lights and zoom past his child who is waiting to get on the bus seen in the video.

He has posted the videos to his Youtube channel to raise awareness of the problem in Windham. He will then record the license plates of the drivers and report them to the authorities.

The first video was published on September 9 and shows the bus with lights clearly flashing as a car speeds by. You can even hear the bus driver slam on the horn.

This second video is the full length, where you can hear Chris saying goodbye to his daughter, "Alright honey, I love you, have a good day...wait for the bus driver to tell you it's safe to pass."

Those could have been the last word he ever got to spoke to his daughter if things ended differently. The video continues to show Chris getting the license plate.

The next video shows the same thing with a caravan breaking the law and speeding by the stopped school bus.