School Bus Stop Arm Passings

School Bus Stop Arm Passings: A National Disgrace Derek Graham State Director, North Carolina NC Department of Public Instruction

History zThe Florida 1-Day Count z10,590 Vehicles passing 3,427 Buses y4% on the RIGHT side! y(same % in North Carolina) zDocumented direction of travel, time of day, type of road, type of vehicle, etc

Florida Community Focus Groups zParents, law enforcement, school folks zPointed to three issues ylow enforcement yLack of knowledge regarding bus signals ylack of knowledge of when vehicles are required to stop

Awareness in Florida zPublic Service Announcements zToll Free HOTLINE for reporting violations zEducation and Awareness

NHTSA Grants zOffered up to four grants to implement strategies for reducing stoparm violations zPinellas County, FL zWill County, IL z3 County Area, NC zUniv. of South FL - continued research

Will County (IL) Operation S.A.V.E. Stop Arm Violation Enforcement Illinois State Police

Penalty in Illinois z$150 fine z3 months driver license suspension for 1st conviction zrecorded on driver’s record

NHTSA Grant zExpand efforts of State Police, local police, school bus drivers to arrest and secure effective prosecution z3 enforcement techniques yBus garage radio frequencies on police cars yPlain-clothes officers following buses yDriver complaints filed on redesigned forms

Education/Awareness zPSAs on local radio zPSAs on local cable zPresentations (PTO, etc) zPresentations to Citizen Police Training Classes

Results zPreparing a comprehensive training manual zCases tracked through this program resulted in a conviction charge for stop- arm violation charge rather than reduced charges or dismissals zRenewed interest of bus drivers in reporting yIMPROVED DRIVER MORALE!

Lessons Learned - Awareness zEducation teaches more than citations zPeople read newspapers &react to media zBusiness owners happy to assist zSomeone skilled in dealing with media should be present at media events zMessage boards are not welcome in some towns and many rules apply zPlanning is critical - don’t wait til the last minute

Lessons Learned - Enforcement zStationary patrols in unmarked cars at hot spots can be effective zAny witness vehicle will deter violators zOn-site arrests makes prosecution easier yreduces number of witnesses zEffective tracking and prosecution results in a true picture of violations zPatrol techniques seldom yield a true picture zSeverity of penalty in Illinois is makes tracking difficult

Pinellas County, FL zClearwater, Tampa Bay zNHTSA Grant for enforcement yClearwater Police Department zHow to best target random events? ySpeed enforcement around bus stops and school zones y240 4-hour blocks

Difficulty with Enforcement zBus enforcement not as easy as it sounds zOfficers could be blocked if not in the right position for monitoring. zPress event - scheduled press to ride bus with officers yNot a single violation captured by the media

Public Education zPromoted Florida DOE’s pass report tipline zPosted artwork on mass transit buses zVideo on Cable Access Channel zNext Generation Network produced computer ads displayed in gov’t buildings and retail outlets zTip Card - Bookmark

More Public Education zClearwater Magazine zVariable Message Boards zSchool bus and large poster at Safety Seat and Bicycle Safety zPoster Contests - Day camps and summer schools zBarney the School Bus - local malls and special events

Problems and Successes zProblems trying to establish a baseline zProblems conducting multi-agency operations (lost mutual aid agreement) zSuccessful public awareness - Next Generation Network & Disney Radio; bookmark distribution thru local businesses zUnable to get project partners to contribute $

Clearwater Police - RESULTS!!! z citations z citations z citations zImprovements in getting bus drivers to report violations - follow-up

Center for Urban Transp. Research, Univ. of South FL zDid the original quantification of the problem in Florida in May, 1995 zIn 2000, CUTR did a follow-up study to determine the effect of efforts since 1995 zNumber of violations slightly increased yMore aggressive driving yMore buses yMore drivers

Recommendations: Local zFormation and participation of Community Traffic Safety Team committees yFocus on enforcement and education yGet wide representation yImplement practical and effective countermeasures zContinue Enforcement Blitzes

TEXAS - TxDOT Grant to UTHSCSA zUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio z3 year project beginning 1999 –source: School Transportation Director

Project Activity zDevelop an information campaign publicizing the “illegal passer” program zEstablish toll free number zCoordination with local PD zDistribute brochure to “illegal passers”

Project Activity zCorporate Contributions yBillboards ($15k value for $4k) y*BUS on GTE yRadio PSA z1,876 license numbers reported zMany calls asking for info on the law yIdentified confusion on the school bus stop law

Stoparm Activity in North Carolina z1996 Report on Florida stoparm study at NAPT zWithin 2 weeks a car passed a stopped school bus in Davidson County, NC injuring two students zWe knew that it was a problem for North Carolina as well as Florida - this drove it home!

Stop Arm Violation Task Force zDepartment of Public Instruction zGuilford County Schools zWake County Schools zWilson County Schools zGovernor’s Highway Safety Program zHighway Patrol zInstitute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) zDivision of Motor Vehicles

Data Gathering - First Statewide Count zApril 15, 1997: 114 districts - nearly 13,000 buses z2,636 Violations zStatewide each Spring since yData gathering is very important yAnnual count violations reported for 10,000-13,000 buses

NHTSA Project zConcentrate on a 3-county area zOnslow, Pender and New Hanover Counties yOnslow, New Hanover - high number of violations zEndorsed by DMV, Public Schools, Highway Patrol, etc.

Kickoff Meeting - Sept zAll key agencies involved zMost important outcomes: yLaw enforcement not convinced that the data were valid yQuestions about bus driver use of the stop arm zLESSONS LEARNED - The kickoff meeting is not the best time to find out that you don’t have buy-in from stakeholders

Time and Motion Study zUsing an external video camera, ITRE staff validated claims of improper equipment use zSTOP EVERYTHING!! yMore Driver Training Needed

Distance from amber to red Bus velocity as stoparm deployed

Produced by NCDPI ITRE Funded by NHTSA

Daily Stop Arm Violations Reported zApril 15, zApril 27, zDaily average, week of 10/12/ y(AFTER bus driver training)

The Plan for Technology zUtilize the Transportation Information Management System (TIMS) yStatewide system of computer-assisted routing and scheduling yall bus stops in the school district are in the computer map database by address zGenerate maps of reported incidences for use by law enforcement

NC Law Enforcement Stop Arm Violations GIS Map January 10, 2000 Legend VIOLATIONS STREET NAMES CITY LIMIT

NC Law Enforcement Stop Arm Violations GIS Map January 11, 2000 Legend VIOLATIONS STREET NAMES CITY LIMIT

NC Law Enforcement Stop Arm Violations GIS Map January 12, 2000 VIOLATIONS Legend STREET NAMES CITY LIMIT

VIOLATIONS Legend STREET NAMES CITY LIMIT NC Law Enforcement Stop Arm Violations GIS Map January 13, 2000

NC Law Enforcement Stop Arm Violations GIS Map Week of January 10th thru 13th 2000 Legend VIOLATIONS STREET NAMES CITY LIMIT

Operation Stop Arm - Onslow, Pender, New Hanover zStepped up enforcement - Grant paid for Trooper Overtime zPress conference to describe what we were getting ready to do zDisplayed the bus-mounted camera

Operation Stop Arm - Onslow, Pender, New Hanover zLittle media response zTV in one location; newspaper only in the other

Operation Stop Arm - Onslow, Pender, New Hanover zSeveral traffic violations cited zFew if any school bus passings observed zData maps not generally used

Finally - RESULTS!! zVideo was the tool to let school folks and law enforcement see what was actually happening zState trooper assigned to field reported violations zCamera-related citations have resulted in guilty pleas (even if to a lesser charge)

Results - not everywhere! zThe reductions seen in Onslow County were not seen in the other counties

Valuable Insights zInvolve key agencies before starting zTraining of bus drivers zGather data to identify problem areas zMake use of technology zRelationship with law enforcement zRemember that data? Make sure it is good and share it with law enforcement zPublic awareness is effective

Key to Success in Onslow County zTransportation Director Jeff Smith zTrooper R.A. Hood

Winston-Salem, NC - Dalton Folwell z2nd Grade Student yson of School Board Member zWaiting for the bus on a tree-lined street zCrossed the street when he saw the bus zStruck and killed by motorist from out-of- country driving on an international driver’s license

Local Task Force zDA’s office zJudges zLaw Enforcement zSchool Transportation Department zAdded Cameras

State-Level Initiatives Public Awareness

Getting the Word Out - The Role of the Media zTelevision Advertising zRadio Advertising zEXPENSIVE yCan’t do it - or can’t do it alone

The Alltel Partnership zNorth Carolina News Network - 85 affiliate stations across NC z$40,000 + spent by Alltel z$8,000 spent by state

Ad in North Carolina Magazine

Dateline NBC zLook for a feature in September zCameras on buses - yViolation caught on tape!!