Illegal Passing Claims A Life

ALBANY, NY (01/14/2011)(readMedia)-- A 7-year old student in the Kaufman ISD in Texas was killed on January 6, 2011, when a pick-up truck passed his stopped school bus as he was stepping off the bus with his younger brothers. The school bus driver had activated the red lights on the school bus to alert traffic that he was stopping. The driver of the truck failed to stop and hit the little boy, who died at the scene.

This scene is painfully reminiscent of the death of 7-year old Mallory Eddy who was struck and killed by a motorist who passed her school bus while she was getting off the bus in May 2004.

How many times must this kind of fatality plague our children and their families before motorists pay attention and STOP for stopped school buses? We do not know what it takes to get the public to take the extra precautions and STOP for stopped school buses. We do know that more than 50,000 times a day a motorist passes a school bus that is stopped and has its red lights flashing --- indicating that it is stopped to pick up or discharge children...OUR CHILDREN!

Due to the continued high incidence of illegal passing, the New York Association for Pupil Transportation calls on state officials to take action during this session of the Legislature to enhance awareness and enforcement of Section 1174 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law which requires all motorists to stop for school buses that have their red lights flashing. NYAPT is advocating for laws that include:

*allowing tickets to be issued to the registered owners of vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses;

*allowing tickets to be issued based on evidence obtained via cameras installed on school buses to facilitate identification of passing motorists;

*increasing the penalties for repeat violators of Section 1174;

*increasing the penalties for injuries or fatalities caused in the act of illegally passing a stopped school bus -- to include, for example, crimes such as aggravated assault or aggravated vehicular homicide;

*allowing for a portion of the fines collected from violators of Section 1174 to be used in support of education and enforcement-related activities related to illegal passing.

NYAPT has conducted education activities over many years on this dangerous practice by motorists. Each year, in conjunction with law enforcement agencies, NYAPT conducts OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY. On that day, local and state police agencies ride along or near to school bus routes and ticket motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses. On average, over 1300 tickets are written on that one day.

NYAPT has also collaborated with the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee to pilot test the use of cameras on school buses and found in one pilot area that the school buses were being passed at a rate of 1.6 times per day. Averaged out across the state, that would suggest that motorists are passing school buses over 80,000 times per day.

NYAPT President, David Christoper (Shenendehowa CSD) stated that: "Something must be done. We cannot continue to put our children at risk of being injured or killed by motorists who are too careless or inattentive to stop for the school bus."

NYAPT Executive Director, Peter Mannella, called on "parents and teachers across the state to join with NYAPT in seeking legislation that will raise awareness of the law and the risks associated with illegal passing and legislation that will up the ante for those who fail to stop for our children who ride their yellow school bus."

For further information on this issue or school bus safety in general, contact NYAPT at 518-463-4937, or email Peter Mannella at peter@nyapt.org or check the NYAPT website at www.nyapt.org.