Law enforcement is partnering with local school districts to make sure kids arrive to class and back home safely.
An important part of that effort is making sure drivers know that it’s illegal to pass stopped school buses with its red lights flashing.
That's the message behind "Operation Safe Stop," according to Transportation Director for the East Irondequoit Central School District, Kathy Callon.
“Every day, we have from 35 thousand to to 55 thousand passing motorists of school buses while they are in the process of loading and unloading students,” she said.
Callon says once a bus driver operates their yellow lights, it should be a signal to drivers to slow down and prepare to stop.
When the red lights come on, motorists should be stopped.
But that's not the case for thousands of drivers every day, and Irondequoit Police Chief Richard Tantalo says it’s quite often the result of drivers in a hurry to get to their destination.
“And one or two minutes is really not going to make the difference. As well as the fact that we are contending with a distracted driving population. And it’s critical for us to make sure that we establish our priorities, and our priorities are the safety of our children,” he said.
Police today are on board buses and patrolling bus routes looking for violators.
State Senator Rich Funke has sponsored legislation that would double the fines for passing stopped school buses.
“Whether it’s distracted driving, or whether it’s impatience or whether it’s ignorance, this is something that just should not happen,” he said.
The bill, which has passed the State Senate but has stalled in the Assembly, also raises the penalties against drivers who injure or kill someone while passing a stopped school bus.
Currently, the first-time fine for illegally passing a school bus is a $250 to $400 fine, 5 points on your license, and/or up to 30 days in jail.
Under the bill, those fines would go to a minimum of $400 and a maximum of $750.
The legislation also requires that a person who injures someone while passing a school bus be charged with aggravated vehicular assault, and if a person is killed in the incident requires a charge of criminally negligent homicide.
Transportation Director at East Irondequoit Central School District, Kathy Callon, reminds motorists that passing motorists are the second leading cause of school transportation student fatalities:
The East Irondequoit School District staged a demonstration of a student getting hit by a passing motorist: