Vance County Schools is joining public school systems across North Carolina in asking motorists to adhere to the “Stop Arm” signs on school buses and to stop their vehicles completely while students board and get off of school buses.
The school system has approximately 85 school buses which travel Vance County streets and roadways each morning and afternoon on school days to transport over 4,000 students to and from school each day. While school officials don’t see a large number of instances when motorists fail to stop for a stopped school bus, there are times when motorists do not stop. It only takes one instance of a motorist failing to stop for a stopped school bus for a tragedy to occur and a student to get hit by a moving vehicle.
Motorists must not only stop on public roadways for a stopped school bus, they also must stop for a stopped school bus in a parking lot, including the parking lot around the school and a shopping center or business.
In 2011, the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program funded a pilot program to implement seven external video camera systems on school buses in five districts to crack down on motorists passing stopped school buses. In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated funds to expand this program statewide.
Thanks to this program, there are now at least two school buses equipped with a stop arm camera system operating in nearly every school district in the state. In light of an increase in distracted driving in recent years it is very important, particularly at the beginning of the school year, to continue to caution all motorists to pay attention – especially around school buses. Their actions can either help protect children or cause them serious harm.
School Bus Safety Statistics
- Since 1998-99, 13 students have died as a result of motorists failing to stop for a school bus stop arm. Four students died in the 2012-13 school year.
- The number of vehicles illegally passing school bus stop arms in North Carolina has been consistently averaging more than 3,000 per day. (Data are reported by school bus drivers during an annual one-day statewide count coordinated by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.)
- $1.38 million was appropriated by the North Carolina General Assembly to equip at least two buses in every school district with stop arm camera systems during the last school year (2013-14) and again this school year (2014-15). To date, several hundred school buses have been equipped with stop arm camera systems.
- Fines for illegally passing stopped school buses begin at $500. Any person who causes the injury or death of a child by passing a stopped school bus may be charged with a felony.
- Automatic cameras and video recording systems can be used to detect and prosecute those who pass a stopped school bus.