New study shows illegal passing occurs 40,000 times per day across the state
According to a recent survey from the New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT), school busses are illegally passed nearly 40,000 times per day throughout New York state, putting students’ lives at risk. While the NYAPT calls this number “alarming,” one question to ask is, How do local school districts attempt to combat this problem and protect students?
During each school year, the NYAPT releases a monthly survey of school districts that measures the number of incidents that involved motorists illegally passing stopped school buses. The Nov. 20 survey showed that in the 32 participating school districts, 1,086 school bus drivers reported they were passed a total of 883 times, including 32 passes on the passenger (or right) side of the school bus.
When this rate is applied to over 50,000 school buses that operation on a daily basis in New York state, the total estimated illegal passing rate is 40,654 passes for that day with 1,479 motorists estimated to pass on the right.
Jamesville-DeWitt participated in the Nov. 20 survey, and Fayetteville-Manlius did not, but has in the past, according to district officials. Both school districts also are involved with Operation Safe Stop, where districts team up with local law enforcement to crack down on illegal bus passing.
“I think with the way society is nowadays, people just aren’t paying attention to the road,” said John Cunningham, director of the F-M Transportation Department. Cunningham said he has been in this occupation for 29 years, and the issue of illegal passing has always been a problem, but seems to be getting worse. “Everybody is in a hurry. People are on cell phones, not paying attention. If they do see it [a stopped bus], sometimes it’s too late.”
Cunningham estimates this problem occurs on a daily basis in the district, with at least one of the 50 total busses that run for F-M being illegally passed per day.
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, school buses will flash yellow lights to signal they are coming to a stop, and drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop. When a school bus is stopped, it will flash red lights and a stop sign on the left side of the bus will come out. Drivers are to wait for the red lights to stop flashing, or for a driver to signal them by. The penalty under New York law for passing a school bus is ranges from a minimum of $250 for a first violation to a maximum of $1,000 for three violations in three years. If a driver is convicted of three violations in three years, their driver license will be revoked for a minimum of six months.
Even with this hefty penalty, drivers are still choosing to pass school buses illegally. So how do local school districts handle illegal bus passing when the police are not there to keep a close eye and pull over drivers?
Education is key
One of the first steps for many school districts is education of both students and bus drivers. Drivers are sent to training courses multiple times a year to ensure they are updated and refreshed on all of the safety protocol, including safely crossing students.
In addition, both F-M and J-D conduct bus safety assemblies for elementary aged students in the fall of each school year.
“You try to do everything you can to teach the students how to act and what to do in case they are crossing and a car does pass,” said Donna Maycumber, safety officer for the J-D school district. “Each year, the DeWitt Police bring elementary students to the parking lots to teach them what to do in many bus situations.”
On Dec. 7, elementary students in the F-M district took a field trip to the bus garage to see Buster the Bus, an animatronic talking bus that teaches students the importance of bus safety. Topics range from crossing safety, backpack safety, bus rules and how to stop bullying on a bus. This annual presentation is put on by the F-M Safety Team, and incorporates music and puppets to get students interested in learning.
When students are taught how to cross from these presentations, they are taught to remind the driver that they are a crosser, then to walk down the bus steps, look out both ways before stepping down. Then they must walk 15 feet along the road, and look to the bus driver who will signal them to start walking until they get to the edge of the bus, which is represented with an American flag sticker on the bumper of each F-M school bus. While the student is stopped, they are to look to the driver, who will give a signal to cross the street. Students are also reminded to look both ways themselves before crossing fully.
“This [safety presentations] lets the students know they’re part of the solution,” said F-M Superintendent Craig J. Tice. “Safety is a top priority and I applaud the driver in their ability to keep our students safe through everyday interactions, safety presentation and bus drills … Hopefully, the students are speaking with their parents and this topic can become a conversation and more people will be aware.”
Getting law enforcement involved
Both the F-M and J-D districts, along with most districts in the state, have a policy where bus drivers who encounter motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses can write down the license plate number and submit it to the DMV, who will send a warning letter to the motorist to whom the vehicle is registered.
In addition, the J-D district will send these plate numbers to the DeWitt Police, who will go to the homes of the motorists to speak to them about the incident and remind them of the proper protocols around school buses.
“We feel this will get more of a reaction from the person, and that it’s more likely to get addressed,” said Carol Saleh, dispatcher for the J-D transportation department.
Although, bus drivers are not always able to get a license plate written down, Saleh said community members who witnessed the incident and sometimes students often will catch the number and, if it matches the bus driver’s description of the car, it will be handled by the DeWitt PD.
“It really does take a community to keep our students safe,” said Maycumber.
Solutions for the future
The Onondaga County chapter of the NYAPT meets on a monthly basis to update school transportation departments on news and driver training opportunities. One discussion topic and goal of the NYAPT is advocating for legislation that will put cameras on school bus stop signs, which will make it easier to get the license plate and description of anyone who breaks the law.
This legislation, known as the School Bus Camera Safety Act, has been introduced in the state senate, with Senator Dave Valesky acting as a sponsor, and also in the state assembly, introduced by Assemblyman William Magnarelli. It would provide school districts with state aid to purchase these cameras, and increases the liability of drivers who do pass the bus while the stop sign is out.
“I understand some people see this as an invasion of privacy, but these are our children, neighbors, grandchildren we are talking about,” said Maycumber. “If putting the students in danger by passing a stopped bus is not enough to alone to make someone stop, then maybe increasing the chances of getting caught will.”
To learn more about the NYAPT or to find more information about the School Bus Camera Safety Act, go to NYAPT.org.
