ROBERTSON CO., Tenn. (WSMV) – Transportation officials are asking drivers to be aware of stopping behind school buses after a truck flew through a bus stop sign, according to Smokey Barn News (SBN).

SBN spoke with a Springfield bus driver who said he was dropping off students on a side road when a truck blew through the bus’s stop sign.

“I was about to let two little girls go and I had the stop sign. I see this truck coming, I didn’t know how it was going to stop, so I kept the girls on the bus,” said bus driver Ricky Henderson, “The truck hit two trash cans, it actually hit a mailbox. The mailbox post broke, which sounded like a bomb going off.

Henderson also said some debris from the mailbox post broke off and hit the bus.

“If the kids had gone through, it was just a disaster,” Henderson said.

SBN spoke to another driver, James Frailey, who said he had more than 260 stop violations on his route, which he said doesn’t count the number of cars that did it, just the number of times took place.

Frailey said local police have really helped hold drivers accountable for driving through school bus signs.

“The local police department has really helped me this year, going after these hot spots and catching these people who do it,” Frailey said.

Robertson County Transportation Safety Coordinator Jerry Shannon II said he sends officers locations each week with the approximate times the buses arrive so they can stop violators.

SBN reported that bus drivers pointed out that children are coming from both sides of the road, so drivers need to be aware of their surroundings and stop for the buses.

Shannon said several agencies, including the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Springfield Police and Greenbrier Police, have been very diligent in being in these hot spots for criminals to stop them.

Police told Shannon that the penalty for violating these bus safety laws can be a “big ticket” on the first offense, while the second could be an arrest.

Robertson County Schools Transportation Director Josh Hinerman said it’s everyone’s job, from students to the driving public, to be aware of bus stops and bus safety.

“My request to the public today: ‘If you see a yellow school bus and you see those yellow lights flashing, and then they stop and you see the red lights come on, don’t take your chances,'” Hinerman said. ” A child’s life is at stake.

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