Laramie County School District#1 Superintendent John Lyttle says there seems to be some confusion about the traffic laws regarding buses with flashing lights.

He says some motorists seem to think they only need to stop for buses with flashing lights if they are behind the bus. He says in fact state law mandates that traffic in the oncoming lane must stop as well.

LCSD#1 spokeswoman Mary Quast says there were 1,361 recorded incidents of people illegally bypassing school buses that had their flashing lights on last year in the district.

She is reminding motorists that all buses in the state are now equipped with cameras to catch people who illegally pass buses, and Cheyenne police say tickets can be written solely on the basis of evidence recorded by the cameras. Those violations can carry a $400 fine.

The state legislature mandated the cameras on school buses after a girl was killed by a motorist as she was leaving a school bus in the Riverton area a few years ago.

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