SPECIAL REPORT
Combatting Illegal Passing with Awareness, Technology
Written by Ruth Ashmore |
ruth@stnonline.com T
hree students died from injuries caused by motorists who illegally passed a school bus during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the National School
Bus Loading and Unloading Survey conducted by the Kansas State Department of Education. Mean- while, the annual National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) illegal passing survey estimated over 43.5 million illegal school bus passes occurred during the 2022-2023 school year. These findings highlight the constant safety issue of drivers who do not honor the school bus stop arm thus putting the lives of students at risk. “This is not just a traffic violation. It is a matter of life
and death,” said Lori Jetha, vice president of marketing for Safe Fleet, a manufacturer of stop arms, cameras and illegal passing warning systems. Federal government steps to address this issue include
analysis of state laws regarding illegal passing and various legislation on the use of stop-arm cameras to prosecute violators. Student transporters are reconsidering routes that require students to cross the street to board or exit their bus and emphasizing training of school bus drivers as well as students on proper loading and unloading. It is also vitally important to equip districts with the technology and training they need to be proactive about this incredibly important safety issue. “Everyone on the road is responsible for the safety of others, yet there is a rise of illegal school bus passings across North America that put school aged children’s lives at risk every day,” said Brett Kuchiak, the specifications and compliance manager for First Light Safety Products, which manufac- turers school bus illumination systems. He continued that it is crucial to “implement changes
on our end that can positively change a driver’s behavior.” Jetha shared how Osceola County School District in
Florida is utilizing Safe Fleet’s Stop Arm Violation En- forcement System (SAVES) system that was launched last June. It provides a three-step approach, the first being illuminated stop arms and LED driver alerts to improve visibility. Step two uses radar, predictive analytics and AI-enhanced software to provide an audible warning to students if a motorist will illegally pass the bus. Finally, the SAVES system also “automatically captures and pro- cesses stop-arm violations to aid in issuing citations and deter future incidents.” Randy Wheeler, the assistant transportation director
20 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2025
at Osceola, added that the system helps modify motor- ist behavior, with the goal of improving student safety. “With the SAVES system installed on just three buses since December, we’ve detected over 500 violations. That’s terrifying to us as school bus operators,” he said. Joshua Hinerman, the director of transportation for
Robertson County Schools in Tennessee, confirmed the high numbers of illegal passing incidents. He noted his district has recorded 767 stop-arm violations in the 2023-2024 school year. He continued that the district has had 880 reported stop-arm violations in just the first semester of the current school year, which he attributes to driver training that allows them to electronically re- port illegal passing incidents using onboard bus tablets. He explained that these tablets allow drivers to record their bus number, location and time of the incident with a press of a button which allows for data collection that can be provided to law enforcement when looking for areas of repeated illegal passing violations. Technology plays a significant role in aiding student
safety and providing a quick way to track and report illegal passing. John Legus, director of transportation at Berrien Springs Public Schools in Michigan, discussed the benefits of stop-arm cameras. “The drivers main focus should always be on the location of the kids while making a school bus stop,” he said. “Our stop-arm cameras allow us to go back and get the license plate and other pertinent information when the bus returns to the lot.” Arby Creach, the recently retired director of transpor-
tation director at Osceola County, recalled video footage that showed a student jumping back as a vehicle sped past the stop arm at 65 mph in a 25 mph zone. “Even now, thinking about it sends chills down my spine. It’s a serious undertaking, protecting these kids, and we need to consider every viable option to help ensure their safety,” Creach said. Although a stop arm is already an indicator that
motorists must stop, many districts have found suc- cess implementing lighted stop arms equipped with flashing lights. “Anything that will snap the drivers out of their distractions and draw attention to the stopped
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN LEGUS/BERRIEN COUNTY SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN
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