“Distracted driving is 100 percent preventable, yet too many people give the road far less than 100 percent of their attention,” National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jonathan Morrison said during a press event April 1.

NHTSA officials kicked off National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and unveiled a renewed national enforcement and education effort aimed at curbing one of the most persistent dangers on U.S. roadways. Also speaking was Derek Barrs, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA); Michael Paris, chief of Fairfield, Connecticut Police; and Patty Kruszewski, who lost her daughter in a distracted driving crash.

The agency is launching its enforcement campaign, “Put the Phone Away or Pay” April 9–13, pairing high-visibility law enforcement with a broad media push targeting drivers, particularly those ages 18 to 34. Officials say the goal is to change behavior before another preventable tragedy occurs.

“We cannot be satisfied until we get that number down to zero,” Morrison said, noting that while traffic fatalities have begun to decline, tens of thousands of lives are still lost each year.

Despite recent progress, distracted driving remains a major factor in roadway crashes nationwide. Federal data cited during the press event notes that more than 33,000 people were killed in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2024, with hundreds of thousands more injured.

Officials emphasized that those numbers likely undercount the true scope of the problem, as distraction can be difficult to confirm after a crash.

“Behind every statistic … that’s a human life,” Barrs said.

Wisconsin Crash

A 13-year-old was struck and killed by a 17-year-old motorists who wasn’t paying attention and reportedly on his phone. The 13-year-old was attempting to board the school bus, when she was struck and hit by the motorists who side-swiped the bus and hit the child on the right side.

 

Following the crash, he NTSB recommended that NHTSA develop and publish “Driver Distraction Guidelines that address the design of current original equipment in-vehicle electronic devices, portable electronic devices and aftermarket electronic devices to prevent driver distraction.”

 

The agency also reiterated its recommendation to cell phone manufacturers to develop a “distracted driving lock-out mechanism that will automatically disable any driver-distracting functions when a vehicle is in motion and install the mechanism in the default setting on all new devices and apply it during major software updates.”

 

Five more recommendations were reiterated to NHTSA following the crash. NTSB calls for NHTSA to develop and apply testing protocols to assess the performance of forward collision avoidance systems in passenger vehicles at various velocities, including high speed and high velocity-differential. It also calls on the agency to expand the New Car Assessment Program 5-star rating system to include a scale that rates the performance of forward collision avoidance and to develop performance test criteria for vehicle designs that reduce injuries to pedestrians.

 

NTSB also wants NHTSA to develop performance test criteria for manufacturers to use in evaluating the extent to which automated pedestrian safety systems in light vehicles will prevent or mitigate pedestrian injury and incorporate pedestrian safety systems, including pedestrian collision avoidance systems and other more passive safety systems, into the New Car Assessment Program. Additionally, Ford Motor Company is urged to install forward collision avoidance systems that include, at minimum, a forward collision warning component as standard equipment on all new vehicles.

Distracted driving is especially dangerous around school buses, where children may unpredictably enter the roadway. Even a momentary glance at a phone can mean the difference between stopping in time, or not.

“Just even one injury or death on our roadways due to distraction … is way too many,” Barrs said.

A recent National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation found that a 17-year-old driver was using his cellphone when he struck and killed a 13-year-old student who was preparing to board a school bus in Wisconsin. In its final report on the crash, the NTSB called for stronger enforcement, education and technology solutions to protect students during loading and unloading.

Related: NTSB Says Cell Phone Distraction Cause of 2023 Wisconsin Student Fatality
Related: Wisconsin Child Fatally Struck by Car While Waiting for School Bus

Meanwhile, on Monday, Paris stressed that visible enforcement is critical, but not enough on its own. “We need every driver to make a simple but critical choice — put the phone down, slow down, pay attention,” he said.

During the campaign week, officers across the country will increase patrols and actively ticket drivers caught using handheld devices. The effort is supported by a national media campaign, both English and Spanish.

At its core, the campaign returns to a straightforward message: no notification is worth a life. Officials and safety advocates alike are urging drivers to make that decision before they start the engine: Silence the phone, set it aside and stay focused.

Because, as Morrison noted, it only takes seconds for distraction to change lives forever.

Related: (STN Podcast E297) Deep Dive into Safety: Illegal Passing & Child Restraints, Plus Green Bus Funding
Related: Action Plan Puts National Spotlight on Hidden Toll of Illegal Passing
Related: School Bus Driver Charged with Hit-and-Run Death of Brooklyn Girl
Related: Waymo Driverless Vehicles Continue to Illegally Pass School Buses

Kruszewski told the story of her daughter, Lanie, who at 24 years old was struck and killed while biking home from work in 2012. The driver later admitted he never saw her because he was looking at his phone. Kruszewski said the tragedy underscored how quickly a seemingly small decision, checking a message, can destroy lives.

It “took just one text” to take her daughter’s life and forever change her family, she said.

Behind officials during the announcement stood an installation of hundreds of hanging car keys, each representing a person injured in a distracted driving crash. The display included about 4,000 keys — symbolizing just a fraction of the victims hurt in 2024.

But officials noted that if the exhibit reflected the full scale of the crisis — more than 315,000 people injured in distracted driving crashes that year — it would stretch across half a football field.

“In just the time we’ve been talking today, another 18 people have now been injured in distracted driving crashes,” Morrison said near the close of the event.

The post NHTSA Kicks off Distracted Driving Awareness Month with Campaign appeared first on School Transportation News.

Before a school bus incident even happens, it’s important for student transportation professionals to be aware of federal safety recommendations and crash investigation procedures. Meg Sweeney from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will be at STN EXPO East to give attendees the latest updates.

Her session “NTSB Investigations & Recommendations: Lap/Shoulder Seat Belts to the School Bus Danger Zone” on March 31 wraps up the conference by outlining various facets of school bus crash investigations. She will discuss occupant protection, which will include NTSB recommendations on lap/shoulder seatbelts and their safety impact during crashes, and shed light on “Danger Zone” crashes, including incidents where vehicles struck stopped school buses or hit a pedestrian.

Sweeney will provide attendees with background on the NTSB and its mission to further safety for students and transportation staff. Attendees will also learn about how NTSB conducts investigations and what school districts can expect when NTSB investigators arrive on scene of a school bus crash.

She will also provide insights into NTSB school bus investigations of high-profile crashes and incidents, including one in Maine that killed a 5-year-old boy, who was dragged 280 feet after the school bus loading doors closed on his arm while he attempted to board. Sweeney also worked on the development of recently released urgent recommendations related to an August crash in Leander, Texas and the use of lap/shoulder seatbelts to prevent student injuries and fatalities.

Sweeney is an accident investigator and project manager in the NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety. She has also worked in the NTSB Safety Studies Division, where she studied child restraint safety, multi-passenger van safety and operator fatigue, as well as at the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

STN EXPO East will be held March 26-31 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Charlotte Concord Golf Resort & Spa in Concord, North Carolina. Over the five-day conference, attendees will have access to the best in student transportation training, including hands-on training and events, educational sessions, product demonstration labs, green energy panel discussions, an inspirational keynote address, the STN EXPO Trade Show, the Ride and Drive at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and more. Register now at stnexpo.com/east.  

Related: STN EXPO East to Feature Illegal Passing Trends, Safety Recommendations
Related: STN EXPO East to Share Importance of School Bus Video Review
Related: Security Expert to Share Indicators Violent Behavior at STN EXPO East

The post NTSB to Provide School Bus Investigation Updates at STN EXPO East appeared first on School Transportation News.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released preliminary information from an investigation into the death of a 5-year-old boy who was dragged 280 feet and killed after the school bus loading doors closed on his arm.

It was at least the third time a student dragging occurred in Maine since 2022.

The latest incident involved a Maine School Administrative District #6 school bus. It  stopped to pick up students the morning of Dec. 16 on Route 35, a two-lane undivided highway with a posted speed limit of 35 mph in the Cumberland County town of Standish. The roadway was partially wet at the time.

The 2022 Blue Bird school bus stopped near the intersection of Route 35 and Route 114, where a 7-year-old student boarded. The 5-year-old boy, identified by local news reports as Simon Gonzalez, followed and approached the loading doors from the rear of the bus. As the kindergartener extended his left arm into the bus, NTSB said, the doors closed. The school bus driver then proceeded to drive away with Gonzalez’s arm pinned.

Preventing School Bus Snagging and Dragging

‘Check the Door Once More’ to Avoid School Bus Dragging Incidents

The bus dragged the boy about 280 feet southbound on Route 35 before he dislodged and fell into the roadway. The school bus then ran over him and killed him. The school bus driver and the 7-year-old student, who local news reported is Gonzalez’s half-brother, did not sustain physical injuries during the incident.

NTSB said all aspects of the crash remain under investigation while determining probable cause. It also intends to issue safety recommendations, to prevent a similar incident from occurring.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Maine State Police and Maine Department of Transportation are assisting in the investigation.

Related: School Bus Driver Pleads Guilty in 2016 Student Dragging Death
Related: Indiana Student Dragged Down Street by School Bus
Related: Maine Student Caught in School Bus Door is Dragged Down the Road
Related: ‘Check the Door Once More’ to Avoid School Bus Dragging Incidents

The post NTSB Investigating Fatal School Bus Dragging in Maine appeared first on School Transportation News.