Orange County deputies cracking down on drivers who speed past school buses

ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Local law enforcement are hitting the streets on Thursday to crack down on drivers who break the law by speeding by stopped school buses and putting children in harm's way.

Orange County Sheriff's deputies will be posted along Goldenrod Road in the morning.

They've run this enforcement detail on this road several times, and every time they catch people driving right past school buses with their stop signs out. Just a few months ago, video captured a driver blowing past a school bus stop sign on Goldenroad.

That day, deputies ticketed nearly 50 drivers for illegally passing school buses.

Deputies will be on the lookout, reminding drivers you have to stop for a school bus with its stop sign out even if it's on the opposite side of the road.

The only exceptions are if there is a raised median or a grassy area 5-feet or bigger that separates the road.

The Florida Department of Education says on any given day, approximately 10,000 drivers pass school buses illegally.

Corporal Gerald McDaniels with the sheriff's office says it's about keeping the kids and other drivers safe.

"All it takes is one car to hit somebody else and the car goes over into the school bus where the kids are at."