Cracking Down on Bus-Ignoring Motorists

When school buses stop to pick up students, drivers are supposed to stop too.  But many disregard the pull-out stop sign and flashing lights to blow right by.

That's why New York is hosting Operation Safe Stop Day this Thursday, April 17th. The program puts law enforcement on high alert to catch offenders.

Peter Mannella with the New York Association for Pupil Transportation said stopping to allow school buses to pick up or drop off kids is an issue of trust.

"To me it's very personal, and to our members it's very personal.  Those children trust us as adults to stop our car when we see red lights.  And people do it all too frequently.

Mannella said you'll never know when the issue could get personal.

"If you pass a bus today, and you strike a child, that child is likely somebody from your community. It could be a neighbor's child, it could be somebody you coach on your baseball team, it could be somebody from your church or your local grocery store - you don't know."

Mannella estimated police will hand out over 15-hundred tickets throughout the day.

He says stopped school buses are passed 50,000 times a day in New York State.