COPPERAS COVE, Texas (KXXV) — A Copperas Cove ISD mother recently shared a video of her standing at the bus stop to pick up her young children, with cars breaking the law.
Copperas Cove ISD Director of Transportation Mike Haire says this an ongoing issue they are working to address as summer school continues.
"In most cases, you'll see a school bus pull out and there will be a car behind them and they are trying everything in their power to get around that school bus, they don't want to be held up in traffic," Haire said.
In a written statement, the mother tells 25 News that she has witnessed this since moving to the area in February.
She says she fears for her children, and is asking the school to provide cameras on the outside of the buses.
"Our drivers are very aware of what's going on in town — they take extra precautions for some of the areas in town, some of our buses do have forward-facing cameras where we can share some of that information with our law enforcement," Haire said.
Haire says no walking in front or behind the bus is allowed.
"The biggest majority is, we want them to get off the bus and just go to the right of that bus," Haire said.
The problem isn't just in city limits — it happens on county roads too. Police are making their presence seen before, during, and after school bus routes, some out in undercover cars looking for rule breakers.
Copperas Cove police say the most severe incidents of distracted driving result in a crash — from 2022 through 2023 there have been 90 cases of distracted driving crashes.
In Temple from January 1, 2022, to May 31, 2024, Temple PD has proven 46 crashes classified as a distraction in the vehicle as the primary contributing factor, and four crashes classified as a cell phone or mobile device use listed as the primary contributing factor.
"Shaving, putting on makeup, driving with a knee while eating, texting, phone usage, and animals in the front seat — I've even seen people read the newspaper or magazines, " said Sgt. Caufield with Temple PD.
Distracted driving is more than texting — it's changing your radio, talking to a passenger, or even looking out the window.
"That text message that phone call, that can wait a few minutes — if it's that important for you to answer pull off to the side of the road answer the text message or phone call and then resume your route," said Gabriel Cardona, Captin Criminal Investigations with Copperas Cove PD.
