LAUREL, Del. - A Sussex County mother is raising concerns about drivers passing a stopped school bus during morning pickups along Route 9 after she said she recorded multiple violations in back to back days.
Jamie Edick said her 13-year-old daughter has ridden the bus since kindergarten and is picked up along a heavily traveled stretch of Route 9. Edick said she posted videos to Facebook from the last two mornings that show vehicles going around the school bus while its red lights were activated.
Edick said the first video showed four cars passing the bus. A second morning video showed two more vehicles going around as her daughter waited near the stop. She said the bus driver sounded the horn as traffic moved past the bus.
Edick said the bus pickup time recently changed from 7:20 a.m. to 6:40 a.m., and she believes the earlier start is contributing to the problem.
“I do feel like the bus time change has drawn a little bit of difference,” Edick said. “I think that people are driving faster first, first thing because they're trying to get to work. It's also dark, so I don't know that they're paying as close of attention.”
She said seeing the violations left her “shocked” and “angry,” and she worries about the risk of a crash while children are getting on the bus.
Delaware State Police spokesperson Lewis Briggs said passing a stopped school bus can lead to an arrest and a court date. Briggs said when an officer observes a vehicle passing a stopped school bus, a traffic arrest is made and the driver is given a court date. If the violation is witnessed by a bus driver or bus aide, it is reported to police and officers investigate. Once the driver is identified, Briggs said troopers obtain a traffic warrant, arrest the driver and issue a court date.
Briggs said state police made 41 traffic arrests statewide in 2024 for passing a stopped school bus, including 15 in Sussex County. He said troopers made 35 traffic arrests statewide in 2025 as of November, including 11 in Sussex County.
Edick said she contacted state police and reached out to news outlets to bring awareness to the issue. She said she would welcome increased enforcement near the stop during the morning pickup window and believes exterior cameras on school buses could help identify violators.