GTSC Announces Annual ‘Operation Safe Stop’ Effort to Prevent Illegal Passing of Stopped School Buses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Thursday, April 25, 2024       

GTSC ANNOUNCES ANNUAL ‘OPERATION SAFE STOP’ EFFORT
TO PREVENT ILLEGAL PASSING OF STOPPED SCHOOL BUSES  

Instances Occur an Estimated 50,000 Times Per School Day 

Today the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), along with law enforcement throughout the state, will participate in Operation Safe Stop, an enforcement and education campaign designed to deter drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses. Drivers who pass school buses that are stopped and flashing their red lights will be ticketed. Surveys conducted by the New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) in partnership with GTSC show that motorists are illegally passing school buses thousands of times each school day. 

“For more than twenty years, GTSC and NYAPT have partnered on Operation Safe Stop to ensure the safety of all of New York’s school children,” said GTSC Chair and DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder. “Whether it is properly stopping and waiting for students to get on or off, slowing down in school zones or stopping in crosswalks, drivers must obey these laws.   We are proud to continue to support this campaign to keep children safe and help educate drivers.” 

Since 2003, NYAPT and GTSC have collaborated on this enforcement and education initiative. The campaign is supported through grants from GTSC and funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 

Executive Director of NYAPT David Christopher said, “Operation Safe Stop is a reminder to motorists to drive safely when encountering a school bus on our roadways.  When you see red lights on a school bus, that means children are in the area and you must stop, don’t be distracted and watch for children boarding or disembarking from the bus. This applies to all roadways, school zones and divided highways in our State. All motorists have a responsibility to protect our students as they ride the bus to and from school. Remember to stop on RED, our kids are ahead!” 

Drivers must stop whether they are approaching the school bus from the front or overtaking it from the rear. Motorists must always stop for flashing red lights, even on divided and multilane highways and on school grounds. GTSC’s website includes helpful information for school bus safety and these tips for motorists and students: 

•  Watch carefully for children near school buildings, in areas where school buses are traveling, or where there are signs for school zones or bus stops. 

• When school is opening in the morning and closing in the afternoon, the area around the school is very busy and crowded. There will be many children using the crosswalk. Car drivers, bikers and in-line skaters must stop to allow people in the crosswalk to cross the street. 

• Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood. 

• Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic. 

• Look carefully to the left, right and left again if you have to cross the street. When school is opening in the morning and closing in the afternoon, the area around the school is very busy and crowded.  

• When you are waiting for the school bus, you should wait at the bus stop and stand well back from the curb. 

• Look to the rear of the bus before you step off the bottom step. Our friends at the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute tell us that more and more motorists are passing stopped school buses on the right shoulder - where the door is.
• Take 5 giant steps straight out the bus door and out of the danger zone (areas around buses where the driver can’t see you).
• Make sure you make eye contact with the driver and wait for the driver to signal you before you cross in front of the bus.
• Never go back for anything you have left on the bus.
• Never bend down near or under the bus.

• Your school district probably has a school bus behavior policy. Your bus driver’s number one interest is your safety, so it is important to listen to your bus driver in case there are any special instructions for your bus ride. Be sure to sit quietly in your seat and limit distractions. 

The fine for passing a stopped school bus ranges from a minimum of $250 for a first violation to a maximum of $1,000 for three violations in three years. Jail time is up to 30 days for a first violation and up to 180 days for a second and third violation in three years.  If you are convicted of three of these violations in three years, your driver license will be revoked for a minimum of six months. Conviction of unlawfully passing a school bus while it’s stopped to get or let off passengers will result in five points on a driver license in addition to the penalty imposed by the court.