SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Michael R. Stout, director of the Division of Traffic Safety at the Illinois Department of Transportation, has sent a letter to school bus operators in the state containing a summary of new legislation impacting school bus transportation. The new legislation includes:

A law effective Aug. 17, 2007, requires each school district and contractor in the state to have a policy in place by Jan. 1, 2008, that requires the driver to shut off the ignition, activate the interior lights and walk to the rear of the bus to check for children still on board.

Effective Aug. 21, 2007, another rule allows the strobe light on a school bus to be illuminated any time a bus is transporting one or more pupils.

Another law will allow both a visual and audio recording to be made on the interior of a school bus when transportation is provided for any school-related activity. Effective Aug. 23, 2007, the law states that recordings can only be used by school officials and law enforcement personnel for disciplinary actions or prosecutions related to incidents occurring in or around the school bus.

An additional law, effective Jan. 1, 2008, requires school buses operated in Illinois to display a telephone number on the rear of the bus to be used to report erratic driving. The law also requires that school districts and contractors investigate such incidents and report to the caller what action was taken.

Effective Jan. 1, 2008, other legislation states that if the owner of a vehicle that illegally passes a school bus stopped to load or unload students contends that another person was driving the vehicle, the state’s attorney may require the owner to identify the driver in a written statement or deposition.