Op-Ed: America Has a School Bus Passing Problem — and Distraction Is Making It Worse
2026 NASDPTS Survey: Data Shows Further Reduction of Illegal Passing
New data is in! School bus stop-arm passings are down to 38.4 million violations per year, about a 2.3% decrease from last school year.
July 21, 2026
While we saw a decrease in illegal passings for the second year in a row, the problem is far from resolved.
Credit:
School Bus Fleet
2 min to read
- The 2026 NASDPTS survey reports a reduction in illegal school bus stop-arm passings.
- Violations have decreased to 38.4 million per year, reflecting a 2.3% drop.
- This data comparison is based on figures from the previous school year.
*Summarized by AI
Today, at the 2026 National School Transportation Association (NSTA) Annual Meeting & Convention held in Denver, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) released the results of its 14th survey on illegal passing of stopped school buses.
In 39 states throughout the country and the District of Columbia, approximately 26.2% of the nation’s school bus drivers participated in a one-day survey to report motorists who passed their stopped school buses.
In the newest survey, 101,334 school bus drivers reported that 56,024 vehicles passed their buses illegally on a single day during the 2025-2026 school year. Adjusting for 100% of the school bus drivers in the U.S., that means we would have seen just over 213,800 illegal passings each day. Projected across a 180-day school year, these results point to more than 38.4 million violations per year among America’s motoring public.
As the projected violations for the 2024-2025 school year were 39.3 million, and the projected violations for the 2023-2024 school year were 45.2 million violations, there is a trend in the reduction of the number of illegal passings.
“While we are pleased to see yet another reduction in the number of illegal passings of stopped schools buses, 38.4 million illegal passings is still entirely too many. The National State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services continues to encourage each state to raise awareness on this important safety issue and to do everything possible to ensure motorists put the safety of school children first,” stated NASDPTS President Mike Stier.
About the Survey
This survey has been conducted annually since 2011, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 when the survey was not conducted due to COVID-19. In recent years, several states have increased penalties for violations, authorized the use of photo evidence for issuing citations, or enacted other measures designed to deter this dangerous practice.
More info on the project, including detailed results from the 2026 survey and prior years, can be found online here.
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