Skip to main content

ATS study finds decrease in school bus passing citations

According to American Traffic Solutions' (ATS) results from the latest review of its CrossingGuard School Bus Stop Arm Safety Camera Programs show the automated enforcement systems continue to deter drivers who might otherwise illegally pass a stopped school bus and put children in danger. The analysis found that 99 per cent of drivers who received one ticket for passing a school bus with its stop arm extended did not receive a second. Additionally, ATS found a nearly 40 per cent decrease in the number o
June 24, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
According to 17 American Traffic Solutions' (ATS) results from the latest review of its CrossingGuard School Bus Stop Arm Safety Camera Programs show the automated enforcement systems continue to deter drivers who might otherwise illegally pass a stopped school bus and put children in danger.

The analysis found that 99 per cent of drivers who received one ticket for passing a school bus with its stop arm extended did not receive a second. Additionally, ATS found a nearly 40 per cent decrease in the number of violations issued. Both of these are strong indicators that drivers are changing their behaviour.

According to the latest survey of bus drivers by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation, an estimated 14 million drivers illegally passed stopped school buses last year, an average of nearly 78,000 each day. Some drivers boldly commit their infraction by passing on the side of the entrance/exit door.

ATS' analysis, which studied data from August 2014 to May 2016, found that nearly two-thirds of the violations captured occurred during afternoon drop off.

Related Content

  • March 28, 2014
    RedSpeed offers schools automated no-cost stop arm enforcement
    School authorities in the US are turning to automated school bus stop arm enforcement to curb an astonishing number of violations. It is estimated that every year nearly 17,000 American children are sent to emergency rooms as a result of school bus related crashes. And when surveyed, 99% of school bus drivers reported that the most dangerous behaviour they encounter is drivers passing a school bus with its stop sign arm extended. Every day these drivers who violate the extended stop arm signs put at risk
  • August 8, 2014
    Georgia, US, schools deploy school bus safety cameras
    City Schools of Decatur will soon become the twelfth school district in Georgia, US, to deploy American Traffic Solutions’ (ATS) CrossingGuard technology to help school districts address the growing problem of illegal passing of school buses that are stopped and boarding or disembarking children.
  • June 5, 2012
    School bus stop arm pilot reveals extent of violations
    A school bus stop arm pilot programme undertaken in Volusia County in Florida has revealed the level of drivers illegally passing stopped school buses when the stop arm is extended and children are boarding or disembarking. During a 29 day pilot period, cameras on just one of the county's 229 buses captured a total of 71 violations. The pilot results also showed that eight out of every 10 violations occurred between 1:00pm and 3:00pm with 67 per cent of the violations occurring on either Tuesday or Wednesda
  • August 1, 2013
    Public school implements school bus safety system
    In an effort to improve student safety at school bus stops, Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) in Georgia, US, is introducing an automated stop-arm enforcement program utilising a safety camera system that monitors and detects drivers who illegally pass school buses, endangering the lives of children as they enter and exit the bus. Developed by Redflex, the Student Guardian safety camera system consists of a single enclosure installed approximately six feet behind the stop-arm, monitoring traffic in both