Teenager Summonsed After Allegedly Passing Stopped School Bus in Standish

Mainers were stunned and horrified when security video recently captured a driver passing a stopped school bus in Standish on the right-hand side of the bus where the doors to enter and exit are, just as a student was about to step out.

The Cumberland County Sherriff's Office on Tuesday, March 22, summonsed 19-year-old Carly Rioux of Gorham for allegedly passing that stopped school bus, according to WGME.

On Monday afternoon, bus driver Tina Dippolito prevented what could have been a tragic accident when she acted quickly and stopped a girl from stepping off the bus when she saw a driver passing the bus and headed right for the door.

It was all captured on video by the student's father who spoke with me saying, "I’m happy she is OK. I just would like people to be aware and pay attention."

He also said that "Tina is awesome," referring to the quick-thinking bus driver.

I think we can all agree that bus driver Tina Dippolito is awesome and not only the family, but the community and all of us that have seen this video, applaud her for keeping the kids on her bus safe.

We're all glad everyone is safe, but we need to do more to stop these sorts of things from happening.

The penalty in Maine for passing a stopped school bus is pretty minor. Offenders receive a $250 minimum fine for the first offense and a mandatory 30-day suspension of a driver's license for a second offense occurring within three years of the first offense. We need to make things tougher.

Hopefully, this close call brings that to the attention of lawmakers and we start handing down stiffer penalties for passing stopped school busses.