(COLORADO) — With students returning to schools nationwide the past few weeks, the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) partnered with four districts for a school bus and school zone education and enforcement operation. Between Aug. 18 and Aug. 22, troopers made visible patrols and targeted enforcement around school buses and zones in Douglas, Jefferson, Mesa, and Chaffee Counties.

A major thing troopers looked for during this partnership was the newly revised law SB 25-1230, which requires drivers now to stop for school buses’ flashing red lights and stop arms even when separated by painted medians or turn lanes. The only barriers that excuse drivers from stopping are physical or raised barriers between them and a school bus.

Failure to stop for a school bus has multiple consequences: Fines start at $250, six points are added to the violating driver’s license, and a mandatory court appearance is required.

Troopers gave a total of 54 citations. The county with the highest number of violations in a school zone was Mesa County, with 36 citations, 13 of which were for speeding. Chaffee County was the lowest, with only one driver getting a ticket for failure to stop for a school bus.

According to CSP, three of the six crashes investigated by state troopers over the past five years involving school buses were directly caused by inattentive driving.

“This past week, our troopers rode alongside school buses, worked school zones, and educated motorists about the updated school bus passing laws to make sure drivers put the safety of children first,” said Col. Matthew C. Packard, Chief of the Colorado State Patrol. “No meeting, no errand, no destination is more important than a child’s life.”