SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — SUMMERSIDE – Drivers in Summerside are not stopping for school buses and Summerside Police Service has issued a notice.
The city police department is urging the public to be aware of buses that are on the road in the Summerside area.
Since the start of the school year, police have received more than a dozen complaints of vehicles passing buses while their red lights are flashing.
So far, charges have been laid in two of those instances, and a number are still under investigation with charges likely to be a result.
In an Oct. 8 incident, a vehicle drove past a school bus that was stopped on Water Street near MacKenzie Drive with lights flashing. The driver, a 23-year-old Summerside woman, was located and charged.
Then on Oct. 16, just after 3 p.m., a bus was stopped on Water Street East with its lights flashing when a vehicle passed it. The 66-year-old male driver was located and charged.
Fines for passing school buses start at $1,000 and carry a license suspension.
A statement from the Summerside Police Service said the department has a zero-tolerance stance on this kind of infraction and considers it a risk to public safety and with potentially tragic outcomes.
Any complaints regarding passing school buses will be investigated thoroughly and charges laid upon enough evidence.
Police are also working with the Department of Education to develop a strategy to help deal with this type of driving behaviour.
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