Friday marks the end of the second school week for some students in Killeen, and parents are already expressing concerns about the safety of their kids at school bus stops.
Killeen ISD has more than 5,000 bus stops throughout the city, and parents believe the location on State Highway 195 is dangerous for their children.
The speed limit is 70 miles per hour along State Highway 195, and Kayla Saffell is one parent who said when the school bus picks her kids up some cars fail to stop.
"They just fly past the bus, I mean the light could be flashing red with the stop sign out and people just speed past," Saffell said.
Only two weeks into the semester Saffell fears the speeding cars will be an ongoing issue.
"It happens every morning, and It scares me every day because I mean you never know if someone is going to sit there and hit the bus," Saffell said.
According to state law, there are penalties for drivers who fail to stop. Public Information Officer for Killeen Police Department Ofelia Miramontez said if cited, they could pay anywhere from $500.00 to $1,250.00 in fines.
"If this bus does have their red lights flashing with their stop sign, and you're traveling in the direction of the bus motorists need to stop," Miramontez said.
She also said the only exception is if you're are traveling in the opposite direction and there is a divider between the road.
"Once that stop sign is out they need to stop completely. They're children. We need to be cautious of these children because mind you they're small and some children just tend to run out in any direction," Miramontez said.
Furthermore, if someone were to get hurt, the penalties could increase to a misdemeanor or felony charge. This is why parents are now asking for police to help.
Killeen Police plan on increasing patrol in the area to help limit speeding drivers and ensure the safety of the students.
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