National Stop Arm Violation Count

While school buses remain incredibly safe, students who ride in buses are most vulnerable when they are outside the bus in the "danger zone." In 2010, NASDPTS passed a resolution initiating the first national survey to determine the prevalence of illegal passing of school buses. Using that data as a starting point, NASDPTS encourages improved safety countermeasures at the state or national level.  The NASDPTS Resolution directing the effort (from November 2010) can be found here.

Additionally, NHTSA has come up with its own "Reducing the Illegal Passing of School Buses - Best Practices Guide".  Click here to view the Guide.

Public Awareness and Training

The following video, captured from an on-board school bus camera in West Virginia, shows the seriousness of stop arm violations. Fortunately this one is categorized as a "near miss" rather than a fatality.  Near Miss Video 

The following video was developed by WNCN in Raleigh, North Carolina, as a public service, in conjunction with the NC Department of Public Instruction:  #Brake4Buses Public Service Announcement (YouTube) 

The following video, made by students from Mountain Home High School in Arkansas, illustrates the potentially tragic consequences of not stopping for the bus:  STOP for School Bus Stop Signs (YouTube) 

2022 Survey Instructions

National School Bus Illegal Passing Survey – 2022 is now open!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y6HYW7G

Please be sure that you select only one method of reporting (either State or Local) within your state in order to eliminate duplication of data.

All the information you will need to launch the survey includes:

• The link that you or your districts can use to complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y6HYW7G.

Download Documents:

• The reporting form drivers should use to ensure that they record illegal passing in a nationally consistent format. 
• A sample letter that you can send to your school districts to announce and launch the survey.
• A spreadsheet that you can use within your office to collect and aggregate the data from each of your state’s school districts (the state spreadsheet), and,
• A spreadsheet that your local school districts can use to collect and total the data from each of their individual driver forms (the local district spreadsheet).

CLICK HERE for the memo sent to all State Directors which has background information on this project.

If you have questions, please contact NASDPTS Executive Director, Ronna Weber at ExecDir@nasdpts.org.  We look forward to your state’s participation, and we thank you for your commitment to student transportation safety.

Previous Results 

Due to COVID-19, there was not a survey done in 2020 nor in 2021.  Therefore, the most-recent results (2019) of the Annual Stop Arm Violation Counts are listed below. 

2019 Raw Data and press release associated with it

2018 Survey Results

For previous years, please contact NASDPTS's Executive Director, Ronna Weber, whose information is below.

State Laws Regarding Passing Stopped School Buses

Stop Law Narrative - Compiled by School Training Solutions, 2012

State School Bus Stop-Arm Camera Laws, 2020

NASDPTS Presentation - State Stop Arm Laws, Penalties and Video Evidence (2013-14) 

For Additional Information Contact:

Ronna Weber 
Executive Director, NASDPTS 
(703) 203-6485