Peabody and Salem Public Schools each unveiled troubling new data regarding illegal school bus passings since the start of the 2024-25 school year. The data – released to coincide with National School Bus Safety Week – is from their respective school bus stop-arm camera pilot programs, which are being conducted in partnership with BusPatrol, the leader in school bus safety technology. The two pilots are the first of its kind in Massachusetts.
From Sept. 3 to Oct. 24, seven Peabody school buses equipped with BusPatrol’s AI-powered stop-arm cameras recorded 661 vehicles failing to stop for school buses that were stopped with their red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. This is equivalent to three illegal passes per bus per day.
From Sept. 4 to Oct. 22, 11 Salem school buses outfitted with BusPatrol’s AI-powered stop-arm cameras recorded 1,094 vehicles blowing by stopped school buses. The is equivalent to 3.1 illegal passes per bus per day.
As captured by BusPatrol, a series of videos of motorists caught on camera illegally passing stopped school buses in Peabody and Salem since the start of the school year can be viewed here. The footage also includes close encounters, providing the public with a firsthand look into the reckless driving that regularly endangers youth when getting on and off a school bus.
“For children in both Peabody and Salem, MA, and nationwide, the most threatening part of their school day is boarding and exiting the bus, given the epidemic of illegal passing of school buses by reckless or distracted motorists in what is a blatant disregard for student safety,” said Karoon Monfared, Chief Executive Officer at BusPatrol. “Through our stop-arm enforcement program, we are committed to helping prevent this issue and ensure children get to and from school safely.”
“Drivers who blow past the red flashing lights and school bus stop sign are making a decision to put their own needs before the safety of children,” said Maria Scheri, school bus safety advocate and founder of S.T.O.P The Operator from Passing. “I’m hopeful that once our state policy makers see the Peabody and Salem data and violation footage, they will be and should be horrified by this unacceptable driving behavior and pass the bill (currently H.4940) to allow for innovative technology to issue citations for illegal passing violations.”
Scheri added: “This important child safety legislation has been stalled on Beacon Hill for far too long, and it’s just a matter of time before we are facing a tragedy that very well could have been prevented if drivers were being held accountable for endangering the lives of children.”
“We are stunned and disheartened at the high number of infractions that our stop arm cameras have captured,” said Joao Barros, Transportation Coordinator at Salem Public Schools. “Many of our students live in busy, urban areas. Our streets are very busy, particularly this time of year. Our drivers are superb in prioritizing the safety of our students, but we still need to educate the masses of drivers out there on precautions as our buses approach.”
In the spring of 2023, Peabody Public Schools and the City of Peabody partnered with BusPatrol to conduct a bus-stop arm camera pilot program. Last May, Salem Public Schools and the City of Salem followed suit, becoming the second district and city in the state to partner with BusPatrol on a bus-stop arm camera pilot program.
Massachusetts legislature is considering legislation that would allow school districts, in partnership with law enforcement, to operate stop-arm-enforced camera systems to address illegal school bus passings. This legislation comes after years of advocacy from Massachusetts communities and supporters who have raised concerns about an alarming surge in reckless motorist behavior around school buses.
At least 28 states, including Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Maine, have legalized school bus stop-arm enforcement programs.
Without a fix to Massachusetts state law, communities are unable to leverage photo enforcement technology to ticket motorists who break the law and fail to stop. The districts hope the findings from the stop-arm surveys will serve as a compelling case for passing laws that allow for more effective enforcement measures in Massachusetts.
Each school year, an estimated 45.2 million reckless motorists illegally pass stopped school buses, putting kids’ lives in danger, according to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.
For more information on BusPatrol’s efforts and to learn more about school bus safety, visit BusPatrol.com.