Clovis Unified to drivers: If you see red flashing lights on a schoolbus - stop!

'Red means stop'.

That is the message local bus drivers are sending as many kids prepare to head back to school next week.

A recent survey in the state determined 26,155 drivers ran those flashing red light signs on buses.

It's a number that is extremely high, so Clovis Unified is using video of an incident that happened in the district to send a strong message to drivers.

In the video, you can see a Clovis Unified bus driver stops to pick up two kids walking to get on the bus.

A car crashes into the back of another car that was stopped, sending those two children frantically running away.

Lisa Kroeker, a CUSD bus inspector, says this incident happened last year.

But the frightening close call is one she tells us happens daily for many of the district's bus drivers.

"You get that flutter in your stomach because you brace for something bad, you get the urge to scream and shout 'stop stop'."

Fresno Police say with school starting back next week, extra officers will be out patrolling, looking for people behind the wheel violating the law.

"It's heartbreaking to see a child struck by a car and it's usually inattention by the driver. But it's imperative that parents pay attention to the 25 mph speed limit because that is there for the children's safety," says Lt. Tim Tietjen of the Fresno Police Department.

And so are these signals.

Kroeker says when you see the yellow lights flashing, know that is your first warning the bus is coming to a stop.

Those lights come on 200 feet before the stop.

And the second the bus driver stops, you will see the lights flashing red.

These are simple tips to avoid jeopardizing the safety of children whose parents send them off to school with the hopes of them returning safely.