SPECIAL REPORT
Getting the Word Out
Safety advocates ramp up public service announcements to warn motorists about dangers of illegally passing school buses Written by David Volz
Still image of PSA produced by the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation featuring NASCAR driver Ryan Preece stopping for a school bus.
A
motorist is late for work and, in a rush, passes a stopped school bus loading children. By do- ing so, this person is putting children’s lives in danger. Community and political leaders
have become increasingly concerned about this issue, and state legislation is addressing the running of school bus stop arms. An online survey of 2,000 parents and caretakers
also indicates increasing concern with their children’s commutes to and from school. In fact, 43 percent said they have observed a “near miss” in a school zone, with one-third saying they saw motorists nearly hit students at school bus stops with the stop-arm extended. Eighty-two percent of those parents said they support safety cameras to monitor and penalize illegal passers. The results come
18 School Transportation News • FEBRUARY 2026
from a survey conducted last year by Verra Mobility. Educating the public on the importance of school bus
safety is an essential goal for Ward Leber, the founder and chairman of the Child Safety Network (CSN), who has worked with the U.S. Senate over the past dozen years to recognize National School Bus Safety Month in September. Leber said research indicates some motorists who pass stopped buses are just not paying attention. Other people don’t know the dangers present when children are boarding and exiting buses. Even worse, as a survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Ad- ministration uncovered, many motorists say they don’t care about school buses. “We are working on a campaign to increase awareness
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