When drivers run school bus stop signs — which is against the law — the Bentonville School District files reports to the local police department where the incident occurred. Within Bentonville city limits, where a majority of the incidents take place, officers with the Bentonville Police Department investigate each one.

In 2024, the Bentonville Police Department received and investigated 86 reports of drivers passing stopped school buses with their warning lights activated. Of the 86 reports, 14 citations were issued. 

Video evidence obtained using cameras on school buses is submitted with each report. There are multiple reasons why a citation is not issued, according to Sgt. Andy Ball with the Bentonville Police Department, including reports that are determined to be non-violations or the inability to identify license plate numbers, vehicle owners or who was driving.

The Investigations

Once the reports are filed with the Bentonville Police Department, they are handed over to one of five traffic officers. The officer is required to review the video footage to ensure there was a violation. They must consider whether the bus driver provided adequate time for the vehicle driver to react.

In 2024, 22 submitted reports were determined to have no violations.

“We must make sure that the driver had enough time to respond to the flashing lights,” Ball told The Bentonville Bulletin. “We receive videos where the sign comes out as the vehicle passes — this is not a violation.”

Even if there is not a clear violation, Ball said the officers will still try to reach out to the driver to educate them on their decision. 

If there is a violation, the officers attempt to locate the owner of the vehicle and get the name of the driver. If located, officers will interview the driver to see what their reasoning is. 

In some cases, officers are unable to identify the driver. In 2024, there were three reported cases in which officers were not able to determine who was driving. Sometimes this is due to it being a company vehicle or a vehicle operated by multiple individuals, making it difficult to identify the specific driver responsible for the infraction.

“The law allows officers to cite the registered owner, but the Bentonville Police Department believes in having a good case for a conviction,” Ball said.

Two reported cases involved vehicles from out of state, and officers could not get in contact with the registered owner.

In 45 investigations — the majority of cases — officers were unable to gather further information, as the vehicle's license plate was not visible, or there were no distinguishing features on the vehicle to identify the owner, Ball said. To address this, officers will patrol the area at similar times to try to spot the vehicle in question.

State law requires drivers to come to a stop at least 30 feet away once a school bus activates its flashing red lights and extends its stop sign so that students can load or unload. This is required regardless of the direction of travel unless there is a physical median dividing the road. 

Failing to stop can result in a fine of up to $1,000, suspension of driving privileges and potential jail time.

“We appreciate local police and their efforts to keep our students safe on school buses and in city crosswalks,” said Leslee Wright, Bentonville School’s director of communications.

School Reports

Starting in the 2024-25 school year, the Bentonville School District began publicly releasing the data on the number of drivers who run school bus stop signs. The district spans multiple towns and cities, so the reports go to one of nine law enforcement agencies, although the majority occur within the Bentonville city limits.

The number of incidents of drivers running school bus stop signs was on the rise at the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. In the first three months, the district reported 92 incidents, compared to 69 incidents in the first three months of the 2023-24 school year, and 48 in 2022-23. 

Incidents have slowed down, however. In November, the school district reported five and in December it reported eight, according to Jason Salmons, director of transportation. He cited a combination of reasons why the number declined, including less time on the road due to more school breaks, the time change causing the sun to shine at new angles preventing a license plate to be seen clearly, and increased awareness.

The school district has implemented new bus features to try to change driver behavior, including an additional 4-foot extension on the stop sign arms of two buses who see the most occurrences.

Each of the district’s 168 buses is equipped with cameras. If a bus driver sees a driver pass once it’s activated its lights, they can either immediately radio the incident in, or they can hit a button integrated into the bus that flags that moment captured on the bus’ camera, according to Salmons.

“We have cameras facing forward and we have a camera facing backwards, plus the dash cam that we can see this bus is stopped,” he said.