A survey from the New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) shows illegal passing of stopped school buses continues at dangerous rates.
Thirty-one school districts participated in the survey on February 9. 890 school bus drivers reported being passed a total of 607 times, including six passes on the passenger side of the school bus where children get on and off.
The report says the number of passes may have been affected by the weather - the the survey was taken the day of and, in some cases, the day after a major snow storm.
If the rate of passing by those who participated in the survey were applied to the over 50,000 school buses in the state, the estimate of illegal passes would come to 34,101 per day, with 337 passes on the right side of the bus.
"This is personal," said NYAPT Executive Director Peter Mannella. "Every time a motorist passes a yellow school bus with its red lights flashing, he or she endangers the life of a child. That is unacceptable. We implore those with whom we share the road to simply obey the law. A child's life is depending on it. We call on the Governor, the state agencies and the State Legislature to recognize this as a critical problem we must address together. It's an easy message: STOP FOR THE SCHOOL BUS!"
 |
|
 |
|
