WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) today announced it is hosting a School Bus Illegal Passing Technology Showcase on Oct. 23, 2019, on the Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C. during National School Bus Safety Week.
This event will involve live demonstrations of various technology solutions to prevent the epidemic of stop-arm violations. The event will also highlight the STOP for School Buses Act of 2019 (STOP Act) (H.R. 2218/S. 1254), a bipartisan bill introduced in the House by Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and Julia Brownley (D-CA), and in the Senate by Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Gary Peters (D-MI).
The STOP Act calls on the U.S. Department of Transportation to undertake a comprehensive review of state laws, penalties and enforcement mechanisms, technology, driver education, distraction, and other issues and make recommendations on best practices to Congress. The bill also directs DOT to create a public safety messaging campaign around illegal passing of stopped school buses.
“NSTA is pleased to host this showcase during National School Bus Safety Week to draw attention to cutting edge school bus technologies to address illegal passing of stopped school buses. As school bus operators, we take our role of providing safe and efficient transportation of our school children very seriously,” said NSTA President John Benish, Jr.
He added, “NSTA is also excited that this event will highlight the STOP Act. We applaud Congresswomen Walorski and Brownley, and Senators Young and Peters, for their leadership in introducing this important bill and all the members of Congress who have cosponsored it.”
The event will be held at 8:30 a.m.-9:20 a.m. near the U.S. Botanical Gardens on Maryland Avenue SE on the west side of the Capitol. It will feature live demonstrations with a school bus equipped with a predictive stop-arm, a crossing guard school bus stop arm enforcement system involving camera technology with an auto-ticketing feature and a rear driver alert device.
A press conference involving members of Congress will follow the demonstrations. President Benish will emcee the event and will be available for media questioning afterward.
About NSTA
The National School Transportation Association has been the voice of private school bus contractors, manufacturers and suppliers for over 50 years. The association provides school transportation professionals with the tools and resources they need to make school buses safe, affordable and efficient nationwide.
