Nearly half of parents with school bus riders say their child has experienced a close call near a bus or in a school zone, according to a new national survey that also found broad support for automated enforcement against motorists who illegally pass stopped buses.
The Governors Highway Safety Association said in a Sept. 15 news release that 46 percent of parents whose children ride a school bus reported such an incident. The survey also found that 91 percent of parents support automated stop-arm enforcement, which uses cameras mounted on buses to identify vehicles that pass while a bus is stopped to load or unload children with its flashing red lights activated and federally mandated stop arm extended.
Overall, 36 percent of the respondents said their children experienced a similar close call involving dangerous driving near a school bus or school zone, which GHSA said includes distracted driving and speeding. Another 43 percent said they know another child who had experienced a close call.
When asked why they think motorists drive dangerously around school buses, 53 percent of the parents think the motorists do not believe they will be caught.
Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted June 16 through 25 by the Ocamb Group and included 525 U.S. parents with children ages 6 to 17 living at home. Separate oversamples of 250 Texas parents and 251 Ohio parents were interviewed June 26 through 28. Ocamb Group founder David Ocamb said respondents were recruited through a national online research panel. The national sample was weighted by gender and geographic region to better reflect the U.S. population of parents with school-age children. For the national sample of 525 respondents, the equivalent maximum margin of sampling error is approximately plus or minus 4.3 percentage points at the 95-percent confidence level. The Texas and Ohio oversamples each have an equivalent maximum margin of sampling error of approximately plus or minus 6.2 percentage points.
The findings come as students are back in classrooms across the country and communities renew efforts to protect children at bus stops, crosswalks and school zones. Parents responding to the survey described motorists passing buses with flashing lights and extended stop signs, speeding through school zones and driving while distracted.
In accounts released with the findings, one parent said a motorist tried to pass a school bus on the side where the parent’s child was walking and nearly struck the student. Another described a car swerving within feet of a child who was crossing in front of a school bus while its lights flashed and its stop sign was extended.
“Parents are telling us that dangerous driving around school buses and school zones is not an abstract concern but something their children are experiencing firsthand,” GHSA CEO Jonathan Adkins said in a statement.
Adkins added that driver education remains important, but the findings show parents also want motorists held accountable when they endanger children. He encouraged communities to use proven tools and technology to make school travel safer.
Parents called for stronger enforcement and greater use of stop-arm cameras, according to GHSA. One respondent also suggested placing more crossing guards at busy intersections during school arrival and dismissal times.
“This is a back-to-school, wake-up call and it’s no wonder that 91 percent of parents support automated stop-arm enforcement to protect their children’s safety,” Justin Meyers, president and chief innovation officer of BusPatrol, told STN.
BusPatrol, which markets school bus stop-arm camera systems, provided financial support for the survey, according to GHSA.
The association, which represents state and territorial highway safety offices, said the results add parents’ perspectives to a broader national push to address illegal passing and other dangers around school buses.
The Illegal Passing National Action Plan
GHSA and BusPatrol released “A National Action Plan for School Bus Safety” in March. The organizations described it as the first comprehensive 50-state roadmap for protecting the approximately 20 million children who travel on the nation’s 500,000 school buses each day.
The plan includes 69 recommendations for state highway safety offices, law enforcement agencies, school districts, educators, school bus drivers, technology companies, autonomous vehicle providers, safety advocates, judges and prosecutors.
Recommendations include adding school bus safety to state highway safety plans, using data to identify locations with frequent violations, expanding public education campaigns, establishing stop-arm enforcement programs and training drivers to recognize unsafe motorist behavior. The plan also effectively calls for more consistent definitions and reporting protocols for bus-stop injuries and related incidents.
As STN previously reported, the plan refers to estimates that motorists illegally passed school bus stop arms over 39 million times during the 2024-2025 school year, the equivalent of each school bus being passed once every three days.
Since then, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services’ annual one-day survey, in which participating school bus drivers manually record illegal passings, extrapolated that the number of illegal passings decreased for the 2025-2026 school year but still show a significant problem. Over the summer, NASDPTS reported that 101,334 school bus drivers in 39 states and the District of Columbia observed 56,024 illegal passings in one day. NASDPTS adjusted the results to estimate nationwide daily violations and projected that figure across a 180-day school year.
The action plan grew out of discussions at the inaugural National School Bus Safety Summit in December 2025. BusPatrol convened the event with support from GHSA and Safe Kids Worldwide, bringing together nearly 500 government officials, law enforcement representatives, transportation professionals and safety advocates.
The plan also seeks to draw more attention to close calls and psychological trauma that may never appear in traditional crash statistics.
GHSA Captures Perspectives on Real-Life Illegal Passings
The new GHSA survey did not measure crashes or injuries. Instead, it captured parents’ reports of close calls and their views about enforcement. Two recent incidents in Michigan and Florida illustrate the different dangers children can encounter around school buses and nearby roads.
In Bedford Township, Michigan, an elementary student came within inches of being struck by a car that passed his stopped school bus Sept. 9, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened about 4:05 p.m. in the 7600 block of Douglas Road as the student was being dropped off by a Bedford Public Schools bus. Sheriff Troy Goodnough said the bus had its flashing red lights and stop arm activated, legally requiring other motorists to stop.
Video released by the sheriff’s office shows the student beginning to cross the road in front of the bus before abruptly stopping as a blue Chevrolet Malibu passes in the opposite direction.
“Thankfully, a devastating incident was avoided due to the awareness of both the student and bus driver observing the vehicle prior to the student completely crossing the roadway,” Goodnough said.
Bus surveillance video captured the vehicle’s license plate, allowing investigators to identify the driver as a 19-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, authorities said. Police used Flock cameras in Bedford Township and Toledo to locate the vehicle.
The sheriff’s office is seeking a reckless driving charge against the driver.
Michigan law requires motorists to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when its overhead red lights are flashing. Passing a stopped school bus can result in a civil infraction and a fine of up to $500. A violation resulting in injury can carry a fine of up to $1,000 and/or up to one year in jail.
In Escambia County, Florida, a 12-year-old Pensacola boy suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a car Sept. 8.
The Florida Highway Patrol said via local news reports that an Escambia County school bus was stopped facing west on La Ventana Drive and unloading students at the intersection. After leaving the bus, the boy walked west toward Muldoon Road.
“As he attempted to cross Muldoon Road to reach Perkins Street, he walked directly into the path of a northbound white sedan driven by a 25-year-old Pensacola woman,” the Highway Patrol said.
The boy was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Authorities did not say the Florida driver illegally passed the school bus. The incident nevertheless highlights the risks children can face after leaving a bus and crossing nearby roads.
Related: Kentucky Motorist Arrested After Illegal Passing School Bus, Hitting Child
Related: Officers to Ride California School Buses During Illegal Passing Enforcement Operation
Related: Detroit Lions Retired Offensive Lineman Joins Latest Michigan Illegal Passing Awareness Campaign
Related: South Dakota Highway Patrol Launches School Bus Safety Outreach Week
Related: Florida Officials Stress School Bus Stop Safety After Illegal Passer Hits Student
The post Survey Highlights Close Calls of Illegal Passing Involving School Buses Riders appeared first on School Transportation News.
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