INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS UNSWERVING RESULTS
While the NASDPTS Stop-Arm Violation Survey numbers vary little year to year, awareness is spreading about the need to stop offenders
WRITTEN BY MICHELLE FISHER S
ince 2011, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Directors has collected data on illegal passing of school buses nationwide and timed its report of results to
coincide with the start of the new school year. Derek Graham, co-author of the National Stop-Arm Violation Survey, said this timing helps to raise awareness about the safety risk to children when motorists fly by stopped yellow buses. “Te thing that it’s done is showed us consistent data,
year after year, that the problem is not going away, and it is extremely significant,” said Graham, head of transpor- tation services for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Tis year, 29 states reported results of their one-day count of illegal passing violations, as compared to 28 states in both 2011 and 2012. Graham told STN that 108,436 school bus drivers participated this year, showing a slight uptick from about 100,000 in 2012. Nearly one quarter of all school bus drivers (23 per- cent) counted 85,279 vehicles that illegally passed their stopped buses on a single day this spring, which varied from state to state. When this number is extrapolated throughout a 180-day school year, the sample points to some 15 million violations by private motorists nation- wide, according to NASDPTS, which launched the survey in 2011. Results have been “unfortunately consistent” since then, stated association officials. In 2011, 76,685 illegal passes were documented during the one-day survey, and in 2012, that total was 88,025. Survey co-author Charlie Hood, state director of student
transportation at the Florida Department of Education, said the association greatly appreciates the efforts by drivers and administrators in those states and local school districts that responded to the survey. “Tere’s no simple solution to this complex problem, but having these results is critical,” Hood told STN. “Natural- ly, it’s unfortunate that we’re seeing the high incidence of illegal passing of school buses continue, but we are seeing examples of the data being used to educate motorists, to beef up state laws and to promote expanded enforcement.” Graham noted that North Carolina, which has been
tracking illegal passes since 1998, enacted new legislation in July to increase penalties for such violations. Te Hasani N. Wesley Students’ School Bus Safety
Act — named after an 11-year-old boy hit and killed at his bus stop last December — hikes the minimum fine to $500. If the passing motorist is convicted of a second offense within three years of the first, he or she is also
24 School Transportation News September 2013
stripped of the driver’s license for a year. If a passing motorist strikes a pedestrian, the violation becomes a felony punishable by a minimum fine of $1,250. If this felony results in a death, the fine increases to $2,500 minimum and the loss of driving privileges for three years. “Te minimum $500 penalty pro- vides a point of reference that people can understand. School districts, law enforcement and the media can reference the new penalty, and maybe it will cause motorists to think,” said Graham, noting that stop-arm cam- eras are slowly but surely making an impact in his state. In nearby Georgia, an increasing number of school
districts have adopted stop-arm camera programs since the 2011 legislation that permits counties to equip yellow buses with video cameras to catch offenders. Gwinnett County Public Schools and Marietta City
Schools are the latest to outfit some of their school buses with cameras to monitor and detect illegal passers. With 1,900 school buses, GCPS is the second-largest district transporting students in the nation, after New York City. Te district partnered with Canadian-based Reflex Stu- dent Guardian for its automated stop-arm enforcement program to install cameras on 100 buses by Labor Day, and officials plan to outfit up to 40 percent of its bus fleet later in the school year. Tomas O’Connor, president of Redflex, said five Georgia school districts are already using its Student Guardian program. “We are pleased to offer products like the Red-
flex Student Guardian stop-arm camera system that enhance student safety and can be installed on all bus brands,” added Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird Corporation. Meanwhile, Marietta City Schools, located about 35
miles west of GCPS, is using stop-arm cameras from Arizona-based American Traffic Solutions to equip 10 additional school buses before school starts. According to Mark Lindstrom, director of transportation, MCS eventually plans to have one-third of it bus fleet equipped with the cameras to help reduce the number of stop-arm violations across the district. In addition, Atlanta Public Schools selected ATS to
install its CrossingGuard school bus safety cameras and Chicago awarded ATS its Children’s Safety Zone Program.
See 2013 illegal passing results for all 29 states reporting at
www.stnonline.com/go/30.
£ School bus drivers reported 3 percent fewer motorists illegally passed school buses this year, but NASDPTS said its survey results are still "unfortunately consistent" with previous data.
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