A one-day survey of 800 Arizona school bus drivers found that more than 1,500 drivers illegally passed them while they were picking up or dropping off students.
At Scottsdale Unified School District alone, 57 drivers reported 144 instances of illegal passing.
That’s why the district is launching a school bus safety campaign as classes resume next week. SUSD Transportation Director David Jacobson said people need to remember to stop when buses turn on their red lights and engage their stop signs.
“The only time you don’t need to stop is if it’s a divided highway, but other than that, people need to stop at that stop sign because children could be crossing,” Jacobson said.
Scottsdale police will conduct heavy traffic enforcement during the first two weeks of the new school year.
“They’re gonna increase their coverage out there during busing times to try to help us raise the awareness and pull people over and let them know what the laws are,” Jacobson said.
The district will also provide educational materials for students and parents about school bus safety laws and pedestrian best practices.
