The Moorhead Police Department, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and the MN State Patrol joined forces to curb distracted driving during the Busted by the Bus campaign on April 12 and 13. Officers boarded a school bus to patrol the streets of Moorhead for cases of careless, distracted or inattentive driving. “We want to send a message that people need to pay attention around school buses,” said Moorhead Police Lt. Deric Swenson. “One things that studies do find is that citations can change behavior.” There have been 186 school bus stop arm violations during the current school year, an increase from the previous year.

A total of 137 vehicles were stopped and 47 distracted driving citations were issued during the two day event, including a driver that was ticketed twice. Clay County law enforcement will focus ondistracted driving, including school bus stop arm violations, through April 23.