Queensbury Union Free School District is participating in Operation Safe Stop on Thursday, April 24. Parents may notice a police presence during tomorrow’s bus runs.
Operation Safe Stop is aimed at educating the motoring public that passing a stopped school bus is dangerous and illegal. It is a combined effort of law enforcement agencies, school personnel, school bus contractors, traffic safety organizations and the media to drive home this message.
It is estimated that over 50,000 private vehicles pass stopped school buses with red lights flashing on a typical school day. Each incident puts school children at risk of injury. Stay alert — when you see a stopped school bus with red lights flashing, STOP FOR THE BUS! A child’s life depends on it.
The New York Association for Pupil Transportation, a statewide organization dedicated to the support, development, and representation of professionals responsible for the safe and efficient transportation of our school children, is supporting Operation Safe Stop Day.
New York State Vehicle and Traffic law requires all vehicles to come to a full stop when approaching a school bus stopped with red lights flashing. Those lights indicate that a child is either boarding or disembarking a school bus. New York state law prohibits the passing of a school bus that is stopped with red lights flashing regardless of your direction of travel, or even if there is a multi-lane or divided highway.