NEW YORK STATE — The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) recently announced its support of last month’s Operation Safe Stop Day, an annual event to promote school bus safety and educate the public about the dangers of illegally passing a stopped school bus while its red lights are flashing. NYAPT chapters held Operation Safe Stop Day public awareness events throughout the state.

“Stop on red, our kids are ahead—that’s the Operation Safe Stop motto,” said David Christopher, executive director of the group. “While the main focus is to remind drivers to stop for stopped school buses so we can keep our school children safe, it is important to note that law enforcement across the state will be out in force following yellow school buses and issuing tickets to those drivers who violate the law.”

A recent survey of nearly 900 school bus drivers reported almost 2,000 illegal passings in a single school day. Projected out to include all New York State school bus drivers, that equates to more than 110,000 illegal passings in one day.

“The safety of students riding our school buses to and from school is our top priority, and we urge drivers to do their part by stopping for stopped school buses,” said Marc Medina, president of NYAPT and transportation director of the Farmingdale Union Free School District. “We ask the public to avoid distractions while driving, to be aware that school buses are on our roadways and to stop when they see the red lights flashing on a school bus. Student lives depend on all motorists following the law.”

Operation Safe Stop is a cooperative educational and enforcement project supported by NYAPT, the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, the New York State Education Department, the New York State School Bus Contractors Association, the New York State Bus Distributors Association, the student transportation industry and state, county, city and local law enforcement agencies.

NYAPT also noted that the 2.3 million children who ride school buses in New York State are driven by qualified and well-trained school bus drivers on routes carefully planned for safety, that buses are maintained at the highest of safety standards, and that school transportation officials are doing their best to keep students safe when they are on or near a school bus.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, students are 70 times safer riding a school bus to school than using a private car. More information can be found at www.nhtsa.gov.