Last week, leaders across various industry and federal agencies convened in Washington for the first-ever National School Bus Safety Summit.

There, more than 400 national leaders across government, public safety, technology, law enforcement, education, and child advocacy discussed the escalating dangers children face around school buses. The Summit, hosted by BusPatrol and supported by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Safe Kids Worldwide, was the first coordinated national effort to accelerate solutions addressing the millions of illegal school bus stop-arm violations that occur each year.

In the months ahead, GHSA, in collaboration with BusPatrol, will develop a comprehensive national blueprint for action — a strategic framework for policymakers, law enforcement, educators, and transportation leaders to strengthen school bus safety nationwide and build on the momentum generated at the summit.

Throughout the day, attendees listened to panel with leading experts on topics like "Aboard the Bus: The Landscape of School Bus Safety," "Enforcement Changing Behavior: The Role of Law Enforcement & Courts," "Communities Working Together: On/Off the Bus," "Public/Private Partnerships: Fueling a Mission, Changing Culture," and "Advocacy in Action: Policies That Save Lives."

Data, Tragedy, and the Push for Stronger Enforcement

Keynote addresses were delivered by Justin Meyers, president and chief innovation officer at BusPatrol, and Karoon Monfared, CEO of BusPatrol, who shared his own emotional story of witnessing a childhood friend struck by a vehicle while disembarking from a school bus — an experience that has shaped his lifelong commitment to student safety.

Every day across the U.S., thousands of drivers illegally pass stopped school buses even when red lights are flashing and stop arms are deployed. With almost 500,000 school buses operating daily, this results in millions of violations each year, placing children in immediate danger. 

A recent survey by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services found that in a single day, school bus drivers reported over 67,000 illegal passes, which is easily more than 39 million incidents over one school year.

To confront this issue, officials emphasized the importance of implementing the safety roadmap outlined by the National Transportation Safety Board following the 2018 fatal crash in Rochester, Indiana. Those recommendations call for a three-pronged strategy combining education, traditional law enforcement, and automated enforcement technology.

Since the release of that report, at least 30 states have passed laws enabling the deployment of camera-based stop-arm enforcement tools, paving the way for companies like BusPatrol and others to assist communities nationwide.

Accelerating School Bus Safety With Tech and Youth Voices

The summit also highlighted how school districts across the country are increasingly adopting AI-powered enforcement tools to monitor and document dangerous driver behavior. 

BusPatrol, which launched in 2017, has grown into a large North American provider of school bus safety technology, with high-definition cameras and AI models installed on more than 40,000 buses across nearly two dozen states. 

"When a child loses their life, it’s more than any community can bear. It’s more than any of us can bear. And so what do we do when an unspeakable tragedy occurs? We respond, and we take action," Meyers said.

This technology has supplied districts and law enforcement agencies with unprecedented visibility into the magnitude of the danger children face on their way to and from school.

"The National School Bus Safety Summit elevated the youth voice in this issue, as millions of students board the bus every day," said Jessica Hugdahl, acting CEO of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

"Today cannot be the end of the conversation but must be the beginning of a coordinated, relentless push to accelerate school bus safety in every state, every district, and every community," Meyers said.