We must start seeing a reduction in illegal school bus passing. 

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Simply put, it's illegal to pass a stopped school bus with its stop sign arm extended and red lights flashing. 

If you are driving near a school bus, its red lights are flashing, and its stop arm is enacted, STOP! Those lights and stop arms signify children are getting on or off the bus and could be crossing the street. 

The Alarming Reality of Children at Risk

An alarming number of motorists continue to pass school buses on America's streets, putting students in danger as they try to board or disembark a bus. Elementary school-aged children are especially easily distracted and may assume a motorist will stop for them. They may be in your blind spot, or you may be in theirs. 

Illegal school bus passing continues to be a major problem across the United States despite the penalties, including costly fines, in place for passing motorists. 

Illegal-passing incidents increased by 4% in the past year, according to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), which recently released results from its 12th annual survey on illegal school bus passing. 

The NASDPTS's survey included 98,065 school bus drivers throughout 35 states and the District of Columbia. Those drivers witnessed 66,322 vehicles pass their buses illegally on a single day during the 2023-2024 school year. 

Adjusting for 100% of the school bus drivers in the United States, there would have been over 251,000 illegal passings during this survey period. 

"The illegal passing of stopped school buses continues to be the greatest safety danger to children. We at the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services hope the results of this survey remind all motorists to pay attention to the yellow school bus, to follow the laws in their state, and stop to allow for the safe loading and unloading of each school bus, and do their part for the safety of our children," NASDPTS President Mike Stier said. "We encourage each state to use this information to bring attention to this critical safety issue and engage all resources necessary to ensure each child is protected." 

Taking Action to Protect Children

What's being done to stop the illegal passing of school buses? 

• Penalties: According to NASDPTS, 49 states have penalties for the illegal passing of school buses, varying from point removals on driver licenses to fines. Arizona is the only state that does not have penalties. 

• Video: While states have increased penalties, many have authorized the use of photo evidence to issue citations for passing a stopped school bus, making a conviction even more likely. Safe Fleet recently announced the launch of its Stop Arm Violation Enforcement System (SAVES). In Maryland, the Harford County Public School System partnered with AngelTrax - the district's internal bus camera provider - for a pilot program using external cameras to record illegal passing violations. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Association says education, awareness, and enforcement are the best ways to solve the problem of illegally passing stopped school buses. 

Let's make sure this is the year we see improvement.