State Patrol begins inspecting school buses

Hundreds of Iowa school buses are being inspected this week at State Patrol posts across Iowa as part of School Bus Safety week. Patrol Sergeant Genie Clemens says troopers and state education department inspectors will be conducting thorough checks. They’ll inspect a variety of things, including the engines, the turn signals, the lights and the interiors of the buses to make sure everything is working and complying with Iowa laws. Sergeant Clemens says nearly 600 drivers were convicted in Iowa last year for school bus violations. Those are primarily for passing school buses while the stop arms are deployed. Students and school bus drivers are a big help, she says, in getting the license plate numbers of the lawbreakers and helping to prosecute them. Cameras are also being mounted on many buses to capture such incidents. Clemens says when school’s in session, everyone needs to be alert.Inspections are being done this week at various Highway Patrol posts: Wednesday in Des Moines and Oelwein, Thursday at Fort Dodge and Ottumwa and Friday in Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids and Mount Pleasant.