National Coalition for Safer Roads Encourages School Districts To Improve School Bus Safety

School Bus Safety Cameras Catch Drivers Who Fail to Stop When Children Travel to and From Buses

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As millions of children board buses throughout the 2013 school year, the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR) encourages school districts across the country to consider student safety not only in the classroom but as they travel to and from campus as well. School bus safety cameras are a critical tool in keeping children safe by capturing photos of drivers who fail to stop when a bus' stop arm signal has been deployed and students are offloaded.

Approximately 26 million students across the country travel to and from school on a school bus. These students face serious risk for injury at the hands of drivers who fail to stop for their buses. In a survey conducted by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, nearly 100,000 school bus drivers reported that 88,025 vehicles passed their buses illegally on a single day. The results from the sample indicate that nearly 16 million violations occur during a typical 180-day school year.

"Many of these violations can be difficult to spot," says NCSR Executive Director David Kelly. "Camera technology enforces the law, keeping students safe and improving driver behavior."

Nationwide, one-third of school bus collisions involve children who are hit by vehicles while they are on their way to and from the bus. To prevent these dangerous collisions and improve safety, school districts across the United States have started to adopt camera enforcement technology.

"Broader use of school bus safety cameras has significant implications for the safety of our children," says Kelly. "No parent should have to worry about his or her child's wellbeing while traveling to school. This technology is crucial to improving school bus safety."

For more information, visit NCSRSafety.org.

The National Coalition for Safer Roads helps save lives and protect communities by demonstrating how red-light safety cameras can improve driver behavior. NCSR brings together policymakers, community leaders and concerned citizens in support of red-light safety cameras, advocating for their use in cities and communities across the country. The National Coalition for Safer Roads is a 501 (c)(6) industry trade association. To learn more, please visit www.NCSRsafety.org, follow @SaferRoadsUSA on Twitter and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SaferRoadsUSA

SOURCE National Coalition for Safer Roads