Three 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. Meanwhile, 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 manufacturers 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 Enforcement 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 processes stop-arm violations to aid in issuing citations and deter future incidents.”
Randy Wheeler, the assistant transportation director at Osceola, added that the system helps modify motorist 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 report 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 transportation 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 success implementing lighted stop arms equipped with flashing lights. “Anything that will snap the drivers out of their distractions and draw attention to the stopped school bus is worth looking at and implementing where appropriate,” said Don Paul, transportation supervisor for Washington Township Schools in New Jersey. “In areas where we have implemented the First Light Stop Arms, we have seen a drastic reduction in illegal passing.”
Legus noted that the illuminated signage at his district, also provided by First Light, “clearly indicate that a motorist is approaching a school bus and not a dump truck.” He added that the buses are also equipped with an LED light system that activates when the exterior door is opened on the passenger and drivers’ side of the bus, as well as overhead strobing lights, both of which draw attention to students exiting or entering the bus.
David Bowman, transportation director at Lakeland School Corporation in Indiana, explained how different technology offerings can work together to further student safety. “Our stop-arm cameras are excellent in capturing people who pass our stopped bus. However, they are reactive,” said Bowman. “First Light’s Illuminated School Bus Signs and LED warning lights are all proactive in helping motorists realize it’s a school bus and to stop”.
Kuchiak discussed First Light’s published Stop Arm Efficacy Pilot Study and how “building on top of that model to collect additional data points from more sources, we are able to prove the positive effects improving conspicuity has on decreasing illegal passing of the school bus.”
He shared that the median decrease of illegal passings because of enhanced school bus illumination is 64 percent, with an almost 90 percent decrease in infractions during low-light hours. “It is clear that increasing the visibility of the school bus, and the action required by the motorists on the road [to stop] that we have found part of the solution needed to get to our goal of zero violations, zero accidents and zero fatalities,” he added.
Alfredo Escalera, fleet supervisor at Seminole County Public Schools in Florida, another user of the Safe Fleet illegal passing technology, said people are going to see these added safety features and question why the technology wasn’t available years ago.
“It’s going to be a no-brainer at that point,” he said. “The systems would be life savers. It only makes sense to have these safety features on-board.”
Training also plays a large role. At Berrien’s transportation operations, Legus said that training is continuous and includes monthly reviews to discuss transportation related events and a weekly newsletter that drivers can use in everyday work with the students. Paul said his district also provides training material to the drivers and that students (up to fifth grade) are given annual training in Danger Zone and school bus safety.
Tennessee’s Hinerman shared specific driver training protocols from his operations. “When the driver makes the stop, they are taught to look and make sure all vehicles have come to a stop before making eye contact with the student and motioning the student to cross, during that time the driver should be constantly keeping their eye moving and looking for danger/ hazards.”
He also noted that drivers are trained to use a designated hand signal to indicate to students that it is safe to cross, i.e. a thumbs up. “Do not use waving their hand for the signal,” he advised, “as car drivers might [think drivers] mean they are waving their vehicle pass.”
Staying in a vigilant state of mind when on the road is crucial for drivers and students, he explained. “For drivers it reminds us to be constantly looking before coming to a stop and never assume that the other vehicle is going to stop. For students this could mean serious injury and/or death and students must always be aware of their bus stop and making sure they look both ways and make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing.
Robertson County Schools has experienced multiple instances of a student being hit by a passing motorist in the past few years, with each case resulting in minor injuries to the student, said Hinerman.
“There is no explanation for the utter feeling of horror when you hear a [school bus] driver come over the radio stating a student has been struck by a car,” he noted. “We respond calmly and quickly to the situation. While at the scene we do our best to be a comfort to the parents who have often times witnessed such a tragic event.
Awareness from school districts, news coverage of illegal passing incidents, and community outreach are all tools to bring attention to this safety concern. Paul noted that community education on Danger Zone safety is done through the New Jersey State Police and local law enforcement. He noted online resources such as schoolbusfacts.com, which he said districts should utilize.
Legus pointed to an episode of his district’s podcast series, “ShamrockED,” which is hosted by Berrien Springs Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Thomas Bruce. Bruce spoke with Legus as well as one of the districts’ school bus drivers about safety issues specific to student transportation. Educational outreach opportunities such as this are examples of how districts can highlight school bus safety concerns, giving a voice to student transportation professionals and broadcast it to the wider community.
Legus also said four signs that read, “All lanes must stop for school bus with flashing red lights” have been placed at strategic areas. Reported illegal passing incidents for his fleet of 26 buses reduced from 170 in the 2022-2023 school year to 146 in 2023-2024, with 30 currently reported for the 2024-2025 year. Two of the signs were posted in 2023 and the other two in 2024.
Even when illegal passing incidents don’t result in death or injury, it doesn’t mean it that they don’t have consequences. “The potential for fatal consequences is off the charts,” Paul said. Legus shared how illegal passing can have long-term psychological and
emotional effects. “Stop-arm violations are both emotional and traumatic to our transportation staff and students,” he said. “Drivers put a lot of care and compassion into their profession. Our drivers tend to view the kids as their own and protect them as such.”
Editor’s Note: As reprinted in the February 2025 issue of School Transportation News.
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