Katrina Morris has wanted to create an illegal passing public safety announcement involving NASCAR for a long time. It wasn’t until she engaged ROUSH CleanTech that her dream became a reality.
With ROUSH’s connections to and history in professional car racing, Morris, the executive director of Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation, explained that in just a month and a half after starting discussions the PSA was in the can, so to speak. MAPT and ROUSH CleanTech partnered on the campaign, set to air during National School Bus Safety Week on Oct. 20. The video will be sent to all national associations with the hope they share it with local media and post it on social media.
The PSA was filmed on Sept. 10 at the RFK Racing Museum in Concord, North Carolina. Participants of STN EXPO East toured the facility last year. In the video, NASCAR driver Ryan Preece speeds past several situations but tells the camera that even he has time to stop for a school bus.
“I could not have envisioned a better way for this to have happened,” Morris said, adding that if it wasn’t for ROUSH’s participation the video wouldn’t have come together. She noted that ROUSH was already thinking of other drivers to expand to the project with.
“It warms my heart because they’re not just thinking, ‘We did this, so now we’re done,’” added Morris. “[They] want to expand. What can we do to make this grow? What can we do to help this issue that we’re all having and we’re all facing.”
Morris said she was able to speak with Preece about the dangers of illegal passing and the importance of the message he’s sending to motorists everywhere.
“Children’s lives are in danger every day,” Morris recalled telling Preece. “And he looked at me, and I said see, I got your attention … You guys doing this for us and lending us your voice is hopefully going to help us to get that message out even further.”
Related: (STN Podcast E267) I Believe in This: Illegal Passing Drops & Michigan Pupil Transportation Leader Speaks
Related: Michigan’s Morris Presented with 2025 Grandolfo Award at STN EXPO
Related: NASDPTS Revises Illegal School Bus Passing Count After California Fixes Error
Related: NHTSA Releases Report on Nationwide Illegal School Bus Passing Laws
In addition to ROUSH and Blue Bird, which provided the school bus, MAPT obtained sponsorships from the Ohio Association of Pupil Transportation, the School Transportation Association of Indiana, Michigan school bus contractor Dean Transportation, the National School Transportation Association, the National Association of Pupil Transportation, Flight Light Safety Products, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, BusRight, and Set Seg insurance company. Morris noted all sponsor logos were added to the bottom of the school bus to show appreciation.
“Ensuring the safety of our children is a responsibility we all share,” Todd Mouw, executive vice president of ROUSH CleanTech, said. “For ROUSH CleanTech, being part of this school bus safety campaign is our way of reminding drivers that stopping for a school bus isn’t just the law — it’s a commitment to protecting young lives. Together with NASCAR and Blue Bird, we can broaden our audience reach to spread awareness and make our roads safer for every child.”
Photos of the PSA filming, courtesy of Katrina Morris.
