TEMPE, Ariz. — American Traffic Solutions (ATS) recognizes National School Bus Safety Week on Oct. 21-25, reminding motorists to exercise caution when school buses are stopped and boarding or disembarking children.
ATS is supporting this year’s theme, “Stand Back From the Yellow and Black,” by partnering with schools and law enforcement nationwide on a safety campaign to remind motorists of the laws and safe practices to take when approaching a school bus.
Earlier this year the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) found that more than 108,000 school bus drivers reported 85,279 private vehicle drivers passed their buses illegally on one day during their annual survey. CrossingGuard®, ATS’s school bus stop arm technology is designed to help school districts address this growing problem with a camera system that automatically detects if a vehicle passes the stopped school bus within the enforced zone. High-quality violation images of a vehicle’s license plate and a video that captures the entire violation event provide law enforcement the evidence they need to effectively prosecute these violations.
So far the program seems to be working. A recent review of violations issued by all ATS customers from August 2012 to July 2013, found that more than 99% of drivers who received a violation for passing a stopped school bus did not receive a second citation proving that driver behavior is changing for the better.
“ATS’ mission is to make life safer and easier on the road ahead. Our safety solutions help change driver behavior by providing enhanced enforcement. CrossingGuard provides school districts with a valuable weapon in the fight to curb illegal stop arm running,” said James Tuton, ATS CEO. “ATS is pleased to participate in National School Bus Safety Week and wants to recognize school administrators and law enforcement for their commitment to the safe transportation of their students.”
Approximately 26 million elementary and secondary school children ride school buses daily throughout the United States, twice a day. The inconvenience of an extra few seconds spent waiting for a stopped school bus is insignificant compared to the loss of a child’s life, so remember to Stand Back From the Yellow and Black.
Click here or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU29wdK5GcU for examples of school bus stop arm violations from operational ATS CrossingGuard camera programs.
About American Traffic Solutions
ATS is proud to be the market leader in road safety camera installations in North America. ATS has more than 3,200 installed school bus stop arm, red-light and speed safety cameras serving more than 30 million people. ATS is the largest road safety camera program service provider in North America with awards or contracts with nearly 300 local jurisdictions in 21 states and the District of Columbia. For more information, please visit: www.atsol.com or www.atscrossingguard.com.
