Schools
Study: Drivers Endanger School Bus Pupils in 'Staggering" Numbers
Marietta City school leaders are stepping up efforts to target such drivers who illegally pass school buses.
A newly released study -- conducted over just one day -- found that tens of thousands of drivers fail to stop for school buses.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) conducted the annual survey in 2012. The group reported that more than 108,000 school bus drivers identified 85,279 private vehicle drivers passing them illegally.
"These staggering numbers highlight the dangers school children face every day from drivers who illegally pass school buses with their stop arm deployed," the group said in a press release.
Earlier this year, ten additional Marietta City school buses were equipped with stop arm cameras bringing the total number of buses with stop arm cameras to twelve. ATS has installed 102 school bus cameras for the Cobb County School District.
Any violators will be captured on video, ticketed and fined.
In Cobb County, NASDPTS said such stop arm cameras have worked to help decrease the number of vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses by 50 percent.
NASDTPS believes such cameras are imperative to a comprehensive approach, which would include education, engineering and enforcement.
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