About 13,000 motorists each year are reported for not braking when the stop sign swings out from the side of school buses.

And those reports aren’t being filed by police.

School bus drivers are logging and lodging those violations directly to the Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division.

An online process has been in place since last year, allowing MVD to send warning letters more quickly to owners of vehicles that were reported as not stopping for the school bus stop sign. 

Bus drivers send complaints of  stop sign violators directly to ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division.

While not a citation, the notification letter is  “to call attention to the seriousness of running the stop sign, which allows students getting on and off the bus a safe space to cross the street,” according to a release.

Previously, school bus drivers would fax forms to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, which then emailed or faxed the reports to MVD.

“Oftentimes, the reports were difficult to read, and it put DPS in the middle,” said Susan Trask, MVD senior division administrator. “We created an online form for the bus drivers to easily complete and submit directly to the MVD electronically, saving a step and allowing the notices to go out more quickly.”

Motorists, who are issued citations by law enforcement officers for passing a school bus when a stop arm is extended, could face a civil penalty and possibly a suspended driver license under state law.