Yellow is the color most associated with school buses, but the focus of this year’s National School Bus Safety Week was red.
The 2017 edition of the annual event, held October 16th to 20th, promoted the message ‘Stop on Red’. The theme comes from last year’s National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest. Pupil transportation and law enforcement officials across the nation took the opportunity to remind motorists about the need to stop for school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop arms extended.
Many states participated in this event. Ohio state troopers followed or rode on school buses to crack down on drivers who don’t stop on red. According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, from 2014 to 2016, 4,160 drivers statewide were convicted of failing to stop for a stopped school bus.
Law enforcement in Texas also targeted stop-arm running during NSBSW. State troopers patrolled areas where school buses pick up and drop off students, watching for illegal passing. In 2016 and 2017, thus far, the Texas Highway Patrol has issued 1,100 citations and 573 warnings for passing a stopped school bus.
There is so much information out there on this subject, yet it continues to be a major problem. Is getting to your destination quicker more important than a child’s life? Something for us all to think about!