Operation Safe Stop Day Across the State

ALBANY, NY (04/14/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT), the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), the school transportation industry and partners in law enforcement will conduct a statewide effort today to apprehend drivers who pass stopped school buses and endanger our children.

NYAPT Executive Director, Peter Mannella, noted: "The entire school bus industry is united today in calling on all motorists in New York to STOP for school buses that are stopped to pick up or drop off our children. Failing to stop puts the 2.3 million children we transport each day at risk of injury and death."

Calling illegal passing of school buses "a serious risk for our children," school transportation officials will team up with law enforcement officials to conduct a statewide OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY on April 15, 2010. On this day, school transportation officials, state leaders, and local and state law enforcement officials cooperate to alert the public about the dangers that illegal passing present to our children and to ticket motorists who illegally pass school buses.

NYAPT notes that law enforcement agencies across the state will participate with local school systems and will write an estimated 1,200 tickets for violations of Section 1174 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law – illegal passing of school buses. Partners with the school bus community in this effort include the New York State Police, County Sheriff Departments and dozens of local or municipal police agencies.

OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY began back in 1993 as a voluntary effort among local concerned transportation supervisors and law enforcement officials. It reminds us of the startling fact that motorists pass stopped school buses at least 50,000 times each day in New York State. That is at least 50,000 times every day that a child is placed at great risk of being injured or even killed.

NYAPT President, John McCormick (Riverhead Schools) noted that, "On OPERATION SAFE STOP DAY we remind the public that the law requires them to STOP for a school bus that is stopped and has its red flashing lights engaged. Those flashing red lights mean that a child is about to board the school bus or step down from the school bus. All vehicles moving in either direction are required by law to STOP or face stiff penalties. There can be no middle ground here."

In an innovative effort to combat this dangerous problem, the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) and NYAPT equipped school buses with ELSAG mobile license plate readers in several school districts in each of the past two school years. These digital readers demonstrated the effectiveness of such devices in apprehending motorists who pass school buses and documented significant numbers of such passes. Some 125 instances of illegal passing were photographed on the four buses over a two-month demonstration period, averaging at least one pass per day per school bus.

"Children are at risk when adults driving their personal vehicles make a decision to pass a school bus that is picking up children to take them to school or to their homes. Illegal passing is just wrong and irresponsible behavior that jeopardizes our children. We ask all motorists to be attentive and to stop for the stopped school bus," stated Mannella.

For further information on this important project, on OPERATION SAFE STOP or on the overall issue of illegal passing of school buses, please contact Peter Mannella at the New York Association for Pupil Transportation at 518-463-4937 or cell as needed at 518-588-3924.