School Bus Safety: Children Get It!

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ALBANY, NY (09/17/2010)(readMedia)-- The New York Association for Pupil Transportation is proud to announce the winners of its 2010 School Bus Safety Bumper Sticker contest.

The contest is supported by a grant from the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee using funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to combat the on-going and increasingly dangerous problem of illegal passing of school buses. To participate in the contest, which is in its third year, elementary school students must design a bumper sticker that carries the words "STOP 4 THE BUS" and depicts the requirement to stop for school buses that have their red lights flashing.

This year's contest attracted over 200 entries from across the state of New York and the winners are:

FIRST PRIZE: Christen Lapple, Longwood Central School District (see bumper sticker art attached)

SECOND PRIZE: Melanie Robinson, Liberty Central School District

THIRD PRIZE: Melissa Goldstein, Longwood Central School District

Each winner will receive a cash prize and a certificate proclaiming their bumper sticker as a winning design. Criteria for selection include originality, color and scheme, accuracy, and visual quality.

The funds are provided to NYAPT to develop educational materials about the problem of illegal passing and to coordinate annual Operation Safe Stop Day in partnership with state and local police agencies. Each year on Operation Safe Stop Day over 1200-1500 illegal passing violations are written by the police at stops designated by school transportation officials as particularly dangerous. Industry professionals estimate that motorists illegally pass stopped school buses in New York State some 50,000 times each day!

NYAPT President, David Christopher, Shenendehowa CSD noted: "Every day, 2.3 million children in New York State take part in the great American tradition of going to school in the safest possible way --- on a yellow school bus. Our school children ride on yellow school buses that meet or exceed federal safety standards and that are inspected daily to ensure their consistent safety. Properly licensed and rigorously trained school bus drivers, who are professionals in every sense of the word, transport our children on those yellow buses.

In making this award announcement, NYAPT notes that every time a child gets onto or off from a school bus presents potential risk to those children but that the school transportation industry strives to ensure that each step is a safe step and each ride is a safe ride. To ensure this, school transportation officials provide enhanced training for drivers, attendants and technicians, engage in preventive and corrective maintenance programs, conduct smart and effective routing, reduce idling time and fuel consumption, and educate our student riders about safety.

"However," NYAPT Executive Director, Peter Mannella, noted "the one thing we can't control are motorists who fail to stop for stopped school buses. Section 1174 of State law requires motorists to STOP when the RED Lights on the school bus are flashing. Failure to stop can result in significant fines and penalties but can also injure or kill a child. We do all that is in our power and ability to keep our children safe. All that hard work is rendered meaningless by one motorist who decides to pass a stopped school bus ILLEGALLY and strike a child as they are getting off their bus or crossing the street to get on their bus. We ask all New Yorkers to remind themselves and their neighbors and families to STOP for the School Bus whenever they see those RED FLASHING LIGHTS!"

NYAPT congratulates this year's winners and their parents and school districts for enabling their participation!

NYAPT is a non-profit professional association comprised of over 500 men and women who supervise and manage school transportation services for local school districts, BOCES, early childhood programs, and private school bus contractors. Members of NYAPT are dedicated to the safe and efficient transportation of our school children to and from school each day.