File photo by Clay Schuldt Jefferson Elementary School students depart a New Ulm Bus Lines school bus with masks on due to COVID-19 concerns in September 2020.

NEW ULM — New Ulm Police Commander Dean Barstad and New Ulm Bus Lines General Manager Joseph Rakowski praised a new law designed to improve safety for children getting off school buses.

Gov. Tim Walz signed legislation Friday updating existing state law by requiring vehicle drivers to stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus whenever its red lights are flashing, whether or not stop arms are extended. The new law adds that vehicles approaching a school bus with pre-warning, flashing amber (yellow) lights is warned that continued movement is being terminated and red lights are about to be flashed.

The new law became effective the day after it was signed by the governor.

“Any improvement to school bus stop arm laws is certainly good,” said Barstad. “If it keeps people from passing buses with red lights on, I’m in support of it. It’s a pretty steep violation, a minimum $300 fine, like it was before. It closes a loophole allowing drivers to pass a bus if stop arms were not fully extended, although I don’t recall anyone making that claim.”

Rakowski said drivers passing school buses with red lights on happens more often than some you may think.

“Last week, we had five (stop arm) violations. Two of them were out in the country,” he said.

Rakowski said school bus stop arm cameras are an important part of the subject and that all New Ulm Bus Lines school buses have stop arm cameras angled to show drivers in front of and behind school buses.

“I believe the cameras are a huge benefit,” he said. “They verify what happens all the time, so who to believe is no longer a question. They provide police with a vehicle description, license plate number and can describe the driver.”

Rakowski said New Ulm Police and New Ulm Public Schools provided data for the bus line to apply for grants they received that covered the purchase and installation of stop arm cameras.