Thousands of drivers illegally pass stopped school buses each year in New York, putting children’s live at risk with each infraction. Earlier this week, a 12-year-old student in Albany had to run after getting off the bus to avoid being hit by a car speeding on the shoulder. While that student survived the encounter, that’s not always the case.
Flashing lights, stop signs, and even knowing that a child could be in the road isn’t always enough to slow a driver down. That’s where Operation Safe Stop comes in.
The statewide initiative focuses on enforcing laws and raising awareness about drivers illegally passing stopped school buses.
“An estimated 50,000 motor vehicles that illegally pass school buses each day in the state of New York,” Camillus Police Chief Michael Shreyer said.
School bus drivers have a big responsibility.
“Every single day, our drivers transport what matters most: our students,” Shelley Lamas said, the assistant school transportation director for the West Genesee Central School District.
But as school bus driver Mark Letizia says, there’s more to it than that.
“My job is more than just getting students from Point A to Point B,” Letizia said, “It’s about protecting lives.”
Anytime a students gets on or off a bus, they’re trusting that traffic will wait for them to safely do so. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
“I’m surprised actually. I was not aware that there’s this many instances of passing a bus in our town,” Camillus Police Sgt. Derrick Edick said.
Edick has had to stop drivers for passing stopped buses before. He says the driver feigned ignorance.
“He didn’t really have anything other than to say he didn’t realize that the school bus was stopped,” Edick recalled.
But a big yellow bus with flashing lights is pretty hard to miss.
“If you’re paying attention to the roadway, you should see that it has flashing red lights and a little stop signs sticking out,” the sergeant said.
It’s not just to be flashy, these lights are supposed to make a difference.
“They’re not a suggestion, they are not a warning, they are child safety in action,” Letizia said. “Because behind every stop is a child who deserves to make it safely to school and safely back home.”
In order to ensure that safe transport, they need community cooperation.
“A few extra seconds of waiting could save a child’s life,” Letizia said.
Operation Safe Stop is part of the larger No Empty Chair campaign that kicks off next week. The campaign has a goal of ensuring every student makes it to graduation without any traffic related fatalities. Each day of the campaign will focus on a different individual initiative.
Monday: Speeding in school zones
Tuesday: Seatbelts and child restraints
Wednesday: Cell phone use and distracted driving
Thursday: Operation Safe Stop
Friday: Impaired Driving