By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — Police have stepped up their presence at school bus stops in the wake of a motorist allegedly hitting a local teenager after she just had exited a school bus Nov. 28 on Southfield Road.
Police have said the enforcement will be in the mornings and afternoons at random locations around town through December. Part of the effort is also to educate drivers about their responsibilities, which include stopping a minimum of 25 feet away from a flashing school bus in either direction of traffic.
Authorities said police would use their discretion when deciding whether to issue a five-point ticket for motorists who improperly pass a school bus.
In a news release this week announcing the enforcement campaign, authorities said police are working with the school transportation department, which has ensured “that students are dropped off on the bus side of the road when being picked up or released from a school bus.”
The trigger for the enforcement campaign was the accident last week. Police Lt. Robert Garofalo said Wednesday that the victim, identified as a 14-year-old township girl, was in the crosswalk and the school bus lights were flashing. But he alleged the motorist was not paying attention.
The victim suffered a broken leg and lacerations to her head, Lt. Garofalo said. She was hospitalized, but since has been released, authorities have said.
The driver, identified as 37-year-old Rui Liao, of West Windsor, was charged with assault with a motor vehicle and related motor vehicle offenses, police said.
In the aftermath of the accident, Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh said Thursday that he had directed the police and the municipal engineering department to look at Southfield Road to see if there were any safety measures that could be put in place to improve the situation.