Proposal to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

Project Title: A Cooperative Program to Reduce Incidents of Vehicles Passing Stopped School Buses in a Coastal Region of North Carolina

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

 Stop Arm Violations - High Priority  Demonstration Projects Funded  Issued up to 4 grants nationally  Why North Carolina?

Background : November, 1996

 Report on the Spring, 1995 Florida stop arm study presented at the National Association for Pupil Transportation Conference  Car that passed their stopped school bus hit two students in Davidson County  not only a problem in Florida but in North Carolina as well

Stop Arm Violation Task Force

 Department of Public Instruction  Guilford County Schools  Wake County Schools  Wilson County Schools  Governor’s Highway Safety Program  Highway Patrol  Institute for Transportation Research and Education (NC State)  Division of Motor Vehicles

NC - baseline data in April, 1997

 2,636 stop arm violations counted by drivers on April 15, 1997  1,935 stop arm violations counted by drivers on April 21, 1998  Not as many counties participated

Time of Stop Arm Passings

AM PM

Number of Students at Stop

6 - 10 11+ 1-5

2,500

Front/Back Left/Right of Bus

2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 Series1

Type of Passing Vehicle

Truck PU/Van Car

Type of Roadway

4+med 4+turn 4 Ln 2 Ln

3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0

Urba n/Rura l/Pa ve d/Unpa ve d

Urban Rural Pav ed Unpv d

Issues

 High Number of Violations Reported  Definition of violation  When the stop sign comes on  Is the bus still moving?

 Court System  Vehicle Equipment  Awareness/Different Laws

Media event - August, 1997

Mike Ward

State Superintendent

Richard Moore

Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety

Janice Faulkner

DMV Commissioner

Media event - August, 1997

 United plea for motorists to heed the school bus stop arm  Announced the results of the 1997 count  PSA distributed to all media in the state

“

The Bus Stops Here….And

So Should You”



National Awards

 Education Press Association  Distinguished Achievement Award  American Association of Motor Vehicle Records Administrators  Regional  National  North Carolina State Fair, October, 1997  Stop arm violation awareness theme at school transportation exhibit  school bus stop arm law

Law Involvement Enforcement



NC Highway Patrol



Officer On A School Bus



Stop for the School Bus



“Operation Stop Arm

”- Guilford County

NHTSA Project - Target Communities

 New Hanover County  Pender County  Onslow County

New Hanover County Schools

 Over 21,000 students; about 11,000 ride 174 yellow buses  1997 counted stoparm  1998 counted stoparm count, count, 93 80 violations violations  Key Personnel:  Michael Wayne, transportation director  Jackie Genes, TIMS coordinator

Onslow County Schools

 Over 22,000 students; about 12,500 ride 201 yellow buses  1997 counted stoparm  1998 counted stoparm count, count, 61 40  Key Personnel:  Jeff Smith, transportation director  Barbara Rooks, TIMS coordinator violations violations

Pender County Schools

 About 6,000 students; about 3,800 ride 85 yellow buses  1997 counted stoparm count, 20 violations  1998 stoparm count, 9 violations counted  Key Personnel:  Jerry Faulk, transportation director  Thurman Casey, TIMS coordinator

Key Project Components

 Bus Driver Collection Stoparm Violation Data  Transportation Information Management System (TIMS)  Statewide system for routing/scheduling school buses  Data Reporting: Mapping of Results

Key Project Components (cont’d)

 Law Enforcement Response  Data and Maps Supplied  Local Expertise  Video and Engine Analysis  Public Awareness – Air Time for PSA  Possible Stations  WCTI-TV, New Bern  WITN-TV, Washington  WFXI-TV, Morehead City  WECT-TV, Wilmington

TIMELINE



Mid September, 1998 Meeting of Project Team – Initial



Early October 1998 – Take initial counts



October, 1998



Produce maps



Initial PSA airing



NC State Fair

TIMELINE (cont’d)



Late October/Early November, 1998



“Operation Stop Arm”



Install Video Equipment



November, 1998



Stoparm Violation Count # 2



February, 1999



Second PSA Airing



Stoparm Violation Count #3

TIMELINE



March, 1999



“Operation Stop Arm”



Release results of Video Observations



April, 1999 - Statewide One Day Count of Stoparm Violations



August, 1999 - Back to School Push

Ongoing

 Educational materials - school PTAs and community groups  NC Highway Patrol programs

Next Steps

 Refined timeline and summary sent to all project partipants  Data Collections within a few weeks  Data reporting/mapping compiled