Car passing stopped school bus caught on video

A motorist is facing a $490 fine and six demerit points if convicted after being charged with passing a school bus that had stopped to let off children near Perth, Lanark County OPP said Tuesday.

The Sept. 28 incident is alleged to have been captured on video by a concerned dad who set up a camera in his Drummond-North Elmsley Township driveway.

Police said it was around 3:21 p.m. on Thursday when the school bus was stopped on the south side of Highway 43 east of Foster Side Road, lights flashing and stop sign out, that the oncoming Pontiac passed the bus heading west.

A 68-year-old woman from Tay Valley Township is charged with failing to stop for a school bus under the Highway Traffic Act.

Mark Lambert posted a video of the incident on social media that was shared nearly 4,700 times.

Const. David Bird, who investigated the incident, said the video, which did not include a plate number, was part of the process of his investigation to identify the motorist.

While cautioning against “trial by social media,” he encouraged people to contact police about safety concerns and to share information with officers that could help them investigate an incident.

“It’s a truism about policing — we can only deal with what we know about. It’s a serious issue, any form of driving that puts people at risk. That’s why we have the laws.”