This Thursday, law enforcement officers throughout New York state will participate in an Operation Safe Stop day.

During a Safe Stop day, police officers ride on board school buses and in marked and unmarked patrol units on selected bus routes that have a history of motorists illegally passing the buses. Officers issue tickets to drivers who pass stopped school buses, and all violations are reported to a central command post so that final figures are available to state and local officials, as well as the media.

The Rochester Area Transportation Supervisors Association (RATSA), in partnership with the New York Association for Pupil Transportation and local law enforcement personnel, will mark this week’s Safe Stop day by hosting a press conference to help educate motorists about the importance of stopping for school buses while children are loading or unloading.

The press conference will be held at the Fairport Village Fire Department from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. It will include an accident reenactment involving a school bus, with law enforcement and medical crews responding to the incident, as well as an opportunity for attendees to interview law enforcement and transportation professionals from Monroe County. 

The RATSA Website has several documents that can be helpful in spreading the word about Operation Safe Stop to drivers, police and retailers, and in identifying areas with a large number of illegal bus passing incidents.

To view the documents, visit the site and scroll down to “Operation Safe Stop Forms.”

Last year, 97 police agencies with 862 officers reportedly participated in Operation Safe Stop, issuing 1,697 traffic citations for vehicles passing stopped school buses. In addition, 1,930 other traffic citations were issued as a result of the safety awareness campaign.