The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT), an organization dedicated to ensuring the safety and efficiency of school transportation, is throwing its support behind Operation Safe Stop Day. This annual event aims to raise public awareness about school bus safety and highlight the risks associated with illegally passing a stopped school bus when its red lights are flashing.

"Stop on red, our kids are ahead – that's the Operation Safe Stop motto," said NYAPT Executive Director David Christopher. "While the primary goal is to remind drivers to halt for stopped school buses to safeguard our children, it's crucial to emphasize that law enforcement statewide will be vigilant, trailing yellow school buses and issuing citations to offenders."

Operation Safe Stop Day, slated for April 25, is a collaborative effort involving NYAPT, the New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, the New York State Education Department, the New York State School Bus Contractors Association, New York State Bus Distributors Association, various stakeholders in the student transportation sector, and state, county, city, and local law enforcement agencies.

NYAPT's statewide surveys indicate that an estimated 50,000 motorists in New York flout the law by illegally passing stopped school buses each day school is in session, imperiling students' lives. During Operation Safe Stop Day, law enforcement across New York State will shadow school buses and penalize drivers who disregard the law.

"Ensuring the safety of children traveling to and from school via bus is our utmost priority, and we implore motorists to play their part," said Ted Nugent, NYAPT president and transportation director at Coxsackie-Athens School District. "We urge the public to eschew distractions while driving, remain vigilant of school buses on the road, and unfailingly stop when they see those red lights flashing. The lives of students hinge on all drivers adhering to the law."

Under New York State vehicle and traffic law, all vehicles must come to a complete stop when approaching a school bus displaying flashing red lights, indicating that a child is either boarding or disembarking. Passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing is prohibited by state law, irrespective of the direction of travel or road configuration.

Penalties for a first-time offense of illegally passing a school bus range from a $250 to $400 fine, five points on the driver's license, and the potential for 30 days of incarceration. A second conviction within three years carries a fine between $600 and $750, along with a maximum jail term of 180 days, while three or more convictions result in a fine from $750 to $1,000, mandatory revocation of the driver's license, and up to 180 days in jail.

Furthermore, for school districts and municipalities using automated stop-arm cameras on buses, state law permits fines to be imposed on the owner of any vehicle that illegally passes a stopped school bus, starting at $250 for a first violation and escalating to $300 for subsequent infractions.

NYAPT chapters statewide will host Operation Safe Stop Day public awareness events, including those organized by The Capital Region Chapter of NYAPT on April 25 at 10 a.m. at the Shaker Road Loudonville Firehouse in Colonie, NY, and the Rochester Area School Transportation Association (RATSA) on April 26 at 10 a.m. at the Henrietta Fireman's Training Center.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, students are 70 times safer riding a school bus to school compared to traveling in a private car.