School and city officials hope drivers will take greater heed of the stop signs on school buses this academic year, which begins Monday.

Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) Director of Transportation Rex Kozak said there was an increase in the amount of violations last year – even after he sounded the alarm.

“[There were] higher numbers, but our cameras were able to pick some up,” he said. “It is frustrating.”

On average, Kozak said his drivers had two violations per day. Some days there were five, and there was no difference between the morning pick ups or the afternoon drop offs of MCSD students.

“There was no discrimination of the time of day,” he said.

Kozak said his employees reported a lot of violators to the Marshalltown Police Department. According to Chief Chris Jones, they received 66 such reports between Aug. 22, 2024 and Thursday. Comparing the 2023-24 school year to 2024-25, there were nine additional violations issued, rising from 36 to 45.

“We also had around 100 calls for service, including questions and anything affiliated with stop arm violations,” he said.

The only reason all of the violations were not reported is because Kozak said they could not get a good viewing of the license plate because it was covered or there was heavy fog or it simply was not on the vehicle. Jones gave credit to the upgraded technology on school buses, as it provides video evidence and accurate license plate numbers.

“It makes investigations more efficient,” he said.

Kozak said he does not know what to do to get motorists to do better before something terrible happens.

“I am concerned about peoples’ disregard for stop signs,” he said.

The concern is not limited to specific areas of Marshalltown, either, as the offenses are spread out, Kozak added. However, a lot occurred on West Merle Hibbs Boulevard close to South Sixth Street. After seeing the high numbers at that location, he said they moved the bus stop location.

Additional areas which seem to have a higher number of violations are on South 12th Street near the Sunset Village trailer court and on East Southridge Road and South Third Avenue by Hoglan Elementary.

“There, when one car goes through the stop sign, multiple go,” Kozak said.

The bus stops near JBS also have quite a few offenses.

“They seem to bounce around town,” he said. “One area will have a lot, and then will calm down, and another area has more.”

The age of drivers has been mixed, and Kozak said even some businesses have gone through the stop signs. Unfortunately, some of the violators were repeat offenders. Kozak does not know if the drivers are typically not paying attention, but hopes the new Hands Free law will have a positive effect. The Hands Free law prohibits drivers from holding electronic devices, such as smartphones, while driving. However, people are free to enable voice activation while in the car. The state law went into effect on July 1 for a six-month warning period. After Dec. 31, drivers will be issued tickets.

Jones shares Kozak’s hope the law will make a difference.

“I hope it lowers many potential acts,” he said. “I hope we see lower violations of the law.”

Thus far, MPD officers have issued a few Hands Free warnings during their day-to-day patrols. Jones said they have usually been issued after someone is pulled over for speeding, which is the biggest traffic concern the MPD deals with.

The laws concerning the school bus stop signs include slowing down when the amber lights on the bus, indicating a stop is imminent. When the red lights come on, all drivers on two-lane and three-lane roads need to completely stop. The only exception is when the bus is on a four-lane road. Then, vehicles coming toward the bus do not need to stop, but the vehicles behind the bus do.

Kozak said some of the drivers would go through the stop arm at a corner. People looking to make a turn when the arm is extended need to stop, as well.

“Somebody is going to get hurt,” he said. “We had a couple close calls. One time, the driver was able to get the kid’s attention and hold them until the car went by.”

Bus drivers have been instructed to observe oncoming traffic, and if it looks like a stop is not imminent, to hold the student. Kozak said that was implemented to help mitigate the issue. One suggestion he had for motorists is to take an alternate route if they find themselves behind a school bus.

“I don’t want people to get tickets and want them to stay safe, too,” he said, after giving law enforcement a lot of credit for doing everything they can to address the issue.

According to Jones, the consequences for school bus stop sign violations increase for repeat offenders. The first ticket costs between $250 to $675 and a 30-day license suspension or 30 days in jail. He said the driver could potentially enroll in a driver’s training program in lieu of suspension. For motorists who get a second offense within five years of the first, he said the ticket will range from $315 to $1,875, along with one year in jail and a 90-day license suspension. The ticket cost and possible jail time for the third offense is the same as the second, but carries a 180-day license suspension.

Jones said MPD officers will continue to work with MCSD, as there is a zero-tolerance policy for school bus stop offenders.

“We do not provide warnings for those,” he added.

There will be 36 MCSD buses moving up and down Marshalltown roads this year, Kozak said.

“My concern is something is going to happen, and everyone will be upset, so stop before something happens,” he said.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com