Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls is pleased that his private member’s bill aimed at improving safety around school buses is one step closer to becoming law.
The bus safety bill – Bill 94 – targets drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses thereby endangering children. It passed Second Reading and is one step closer to becoming law.
“Any bus driver will tell you that each and every day, many drivers speed past stopped school buses whose red lights are flashing and stop arm extended as they pick up children. The school bus operators call these incidents ‘blow bys’ and we need to do more to stop them in order to protect the safety of our children,” Nicholls said in a release.
It is currently against the law to pass school buses with deployed stop signs and flashing lights, yet the conviction rate is very low for drivers that endanger the lives of children, Nicholls said.
“In the past, bus drivers have been expected to memorize the license plate of cars speeding by as they pay attention to students both on and off the bus while being mindful of traffic and pedestrians,” Nicholls said. “It’s no surprise that people are rarely caught and it’s unfair to place that burden on bus drivers who work hard to protect our children.”
Nicholls said the bill will save time and taxpayer money in prosecuting offenders by placing cameras on buses and stop arms to record license plates of offenders and capture the violations.
“As new technology is developed we need to update our laws. This is a simple change that will act as a strong deterrent for those who put children at risk, and will also keep bus drivers and police officers working in our communities instead of sitting in court,” Nicholls said.
