'Our future is riding with us'

The yellow school bus is an icon in our society. It speaks of safety and security and a solid and wholesome education for our children. That safety and security do not come easily but require the dedication and hard work of many professionals in the school transportation community. Yet every day, more than 50,000 motorists illegally pass school buses that are stopped with red flashing lights engaged as they stop to pick up or drop off our school children. As a transportation supervisor and a member of the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, I am proud of the record of school bus safety we have attained for our children and for our taxpayers. Our mechanics work hard every day to inspect and maintain our yellow school buses to the very highest standards. Our drivers are trained and prepared to transport our children through all kinds of traffic and weather and to respond to their needs as they drive them to school. Our routers and dispatchers strive to find the fastest, safest and most efficient ways to get our children from school to home. And our trainers ensure that our team is ready to do their job with excellence and efficiency. But I also am alarmed at the number of illegal passes that occur across our state and in our own district. Despite our best efforts with local police and law enforcement agencies, the problem continues and is worsened by the fact that motorists are passing on the passenger or curb side of the school bus in increasing numbers. State law requires that all motorists in all directions on all roads come to a complete stop when approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing. The school bus in these instances is like a traffic control device, not unlike the familiar Stop light at intersections. When the lights are red, we are all supposed to stop and be alert for children approaching or leaving the school bus. Illegal passing injures numerous children each year and we have had several fatalities caused by motorists driving past a stopped school bus. This cannot continue. We fear that we will lose or injure more children if this problem is not resolved. We are proud to say that in recent years we have taken many steps to make our operations even more efficient and continue to this day to identify ways to conserve precious resources that are provided by our taxpayers. This includes reviewing and adjusting our bus routes on a constant basis and eliminating idling of buses that wastes fuel and incorporating preventive maintenance efforts that will save our district in the long term. During School Bus Safety Week (Oct. 17-21), we encourage our district residents to learn more about the valuable work that we do for the children. We understand that “our future is riding with us” and are eager to tell the amazing story of how 2.3 million children in New York State are transported safely to and from school each and every day. It also is time to start stopping. We urge all motorists during the School Bus Safety Week and every day afterward to remember the law and, most of all, to remember the children and STOP when you see those red lights flashing. Sincerely, Louise J. Stewart School Bus Instructor/Examiner Monroe-Woodbury School District