An annual one-day count of motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses fell victim to the COVID-19 pandemic last two years as well as a school bus driver shortage of epic proportions.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) announced Tuesday that it would again forgo its National School Bus Illegal Passing Survey, which relies on school bus drivers to note motorists who ignore the federally mandated stop arm and flashing red lights. But there remains hope the survey may still be held in the spring.
“The National School Bus Illegal Passing Survey is a very important tool in school transportation to not only highlight the safe transportation of students but to also assist in the continued education of motorists about the need to stop for the yellow school bus. As regular operations return, hopefully in [the spring of] 2022, we look to resume the survey at that time,” stated NASDPTS President Pat McManamon in an email.
NASDPTS Executive Director Ronna Weber added that the association hopes the most recent cancelation will allow school districts nationwide to “focus solely on safety at this time,” as they not only continue to operate amid COVID-19 but also drastic school bus driver shortages.
The survey, which began in 2011, is voluntary and participating school bus drivers manually note all instances of a motorist illegally passing their school bus on a given day, usually in the spring. The last survey to be conducted was in 2019, when over 107,000 of the nation’s nearly 500,000 school bus drivers reported that 81,841 vehicles illegally passed their buses in 31 states. NASDPTS said those violations equated to 17 million violations occurring nationwide over a 180-day school year.
Related: School Bus Illegal Passing Legislation Catches Second Wind in Congress
Related: School Bus Illegal Passing Legislation Catches Second Wind in Congress
Related: School Bus Illegal Passing Legislation Catches Second Wind in Congress
