This April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and BusGates has launched a new pilot program to make its LED stop arm extensions available to districts across the U.S. for free.

Providing Tools to Reduce Illegal School Bus Passings

With distracted driving on the rise in the U.S., BusGates will ship one stop arm extension to schools participating in the program during April for them to test and keep while inventory lasts.

The stop arm extensions are designed to make school buses more visible to approaching traffic by extending the arm 5 feet from the side of the bus. Lit with high-powered LED flashing lights, the stop arms also have increased visibility compared to traditional stop arms.

The LED extension acts as a physical and visual barrier, warning drivers from a greater distance and helping to reduce illegal passings.

“As parents, all of us at BusGates understand the importance of keeping our children safe, especially when they are getting to and from school,” said Dan Thompson, founding partner at BusGates. “We believe every school should benefit from our proactive technology, and this pilot program will make it even more accessible.”

Raising Awareness on Illegal School Bus Passings

A 2023 bus driver survey conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) found that there were more than 43.5 million illegal school bus passings in the U.S. during the 2022-2023 school year. With illegal school bus passings on the rise, there is an urgent need for increased awareness and stronger external safety measures on school buses.

“Our products are a simple solution that easily retrofits the existing stop sign on school buses,” said Trevor Clatfelter, founding partner at BusGates. “The stop arm extensions offer additional visibility with flashing LED lights and extend 5 feet from the bus, making drive-arounds much harder.”

School districts in over 20 states have installed BusGates LED-lit stop arm extensions to add a physical barrier for oncoming traffic and reduce illegal passing.

The company said these stop arms prevent illegal school bus passings, as opposed to cameras, which only serve as surveillance tools to catch violations.

Distracted Driving Awareness Month highlights the dangers of distracted driving behaviors, including illegal school bus passing. There is a need for more focus behind the wheel, especially in marked school zones and bus stops in communities across the country.