SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Springfield School District has introduced new technology to its bus fleet that aims to keep students safe.
The new technology is the “stop arm extension.” It’s a bar that swings out from the body of the bus and it’s meant to more easily alert drivers to stopped school buses.
The root cause for the upgrades is illegal passing of school buses. The latest survey from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services shows that school buses are illegally passed 45 million times each year, and over 62,000 times per day in 2022-2023.
“It’s up to everyone to be aware of school buses, especially this time of year now that they are back on the road every day,” said Superintendent Jennifer Gill.
Last year, the Springfield School District launched a pilot program for stop arm extensions on its buses, funded by a donation from the Laborers International Union of North America. 20 of the district’s 190 buses were outfitted with the extensions.
“Since our initial pilot installation, we have seen a reduction in school bus drive-arounds,” said Gabrielle Kilby-Fisher, the district’s Coordinator of Transportation. “These stop arm extensions make our buses even more visible and have increased safety for students getting on and off buses around the city. Based on that knowledge, it was a good investment to upgrade the remaining 170 buses.”
The Springfield School District joins 21 other Illinois school districts in installing the stop arm extensions, which are made by Springfield-based company BusGates.
إرسال تعليق