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Change Driver Behavior, Protect Students: The Smarter, Stronger Solution to Protecting Students in the Danger Zone

By: STN

Every day, drivers illegally pass stopped school buses, ignoring extended stop arms and flashing red lights, putting our children in immediate danger.

The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) estimates over 251,000 illegal pass-bys happen daily. Projected over a 180-day school year, that’s 45.2 million times our children are at risk of injury or worse. These statistics underscore the urgent need for comprehensive solutions to protect students.

The Safe Fleet Illegal Passing Suite is the only solution designed to tackle the stop-arm violation epidemic from every angle. Prevention, proactive protection, and enforcement work together to safeguard students in the school bus Danger Zone.

  • Preventive: The Safe Fleet Illuminated Stop Arm™ and Driver Alert Device ensure drivers see and recognize a stopped school bus, reducing the likelihood of illegal pass-bys before they happen.
  • Proactive: Our Predictive Stop Arm® (PSA) detects approaching vehicles that are not likely to stop in time and warns students to stay back, adding an extra layer of real-time protection. It’s the only solution of its kind that engages with students directly, giving them agency over their well-being and extra seconds to keep out of harm’s way.
  • Responsive: The Safe Fleet Stop Arm Violation Enforcement System™ (SAVES) captures high-quality video, photographic and location-based evidence of illegal pass-bys––including context footage from the right-hand side of the bus––and packages it for citation, holding violators accountable and driving long-term behavior change.

School bus safety technology should do more than just react. It should prevent incidents, protect students in real time, and hold violators accountable. That’s how we curb the illegal passing epidemic.

The solutions in the Illegal Passing Suite work together to create a protective umbrella within the school bus’ Danger Zone. At the heart of it is SAVES.

Why SAVES Stands Out

Superior Performance with Unmatched Accuracy Rates

SAVES delivers big results while requiring minimal school administration effort by helping to keep students safe, shaping long-term positive driver behavior, and providing operational insights. With its AI-powered analytics, SAVES consistently delivers greater than 98% violation/plate-detection accuracy in real-world settings, giving districts clear, reliable evidence and full ownership of their data to support training, enforcement, and safety improvement.

Seamless Evidence Management with the SAVES Cloud Interface

Unlike competitive offerings, Safe Fleet provides the school district with full access to their data should the district want to mine the information for insight. And the Safe Fleet cloud interface streamlines the process – making it as simple as possible.

  • The Stop Arm Enforcement Application Dashboard – Provides key metrics such as the number of violations over a select period, location data, and emerging trends. The district can use this information to change bus stop locations and work with law enforcement to diffuse hot zones.

System performance stays reliable without adding a burden on the district. Safe Fleet handles updates remotely to keep everything running smoothly and safe.

  • Device Management – Safe Fleet remotely updates SAVES devices for districts, ensuring optimal functionality without disrupting operations.

Reliability That Stands the Test of Time

Safety technology needs to be reliable. There’s no room for failure when student lives are on the line. The Illegal Passing Suite is built with durability and consistency in mind, delivering dependable performance across all its components. Every piece of the suite is designed to work seamlessly, ensuring school buses are equipped with solutions that function when they matter most.

Evidence That Holds Up

The effectiveness of enforcement depends on the quality of the evidence collected. The SAVES system captures comprehensive evidence packages that consist of high-resolution video, photographic evidence, location-based and context-specific data with incredible accuracy, helping eliminate instances in which violations go unchecked. With built-in AI and automated evidence packaging, SAVES delivers clear and thorough documentation that streamlines the citation process and reinforces driver accountability.

Support and Resources at Every Step

Adopting new technology is easier when the right support is available. Safe Fleet provides expert guidance throughout every stage of SAVES onboarding, including installation, implementation, and developing community outreach programs. We handle all the technical aspects, including violation capture, processing, and citation management, so districts can stay focused on student safety.

Better Safety Starts Here

Young boy in front of yellow school bus waiting to cross street.

Creating a safer environment for students takes a complete approach. With the Illegal Passing Suite and SAVES, school districts can prevent dangerous pass-bys, protect students in real time, and hold violators accountable with high-quality evidence.

Safer buses. Smarter enforcement. Stronger results. That’s the Safe Fleet difference. 

Learn more at www.safefleet.net.

The views expressed are those of the content sponsor and do not reflect those of School Transportation News.

The post Change Driver Behavior, Protect Students: The Smarter, Stronger Solution to Protecting Students in the Danger Zone appeared first on School Transportation News.

May 2025

By: STN
Still image of drone footage recorded by Spartanburg School District 6 in South Carolina demonstrates loading and unloading zone technology. Cover Design by Kimber Horne
Still image of drone footage recorded by Spartanburg School District 6 in South Carolina demonstrates loading and unloading zone technology.
Cover Design by Kimber Horne

This month’s issue takes a deep dive into the many angles of safety and security for student transportation. Read articles on AI software, Danger Zone safety technology options, funding for school bus Wi-Fi and the uncertain future of federal funding for purchasing clean-energy buses. Hear from Blue Bird’s new president, more on technology adoption and recap from STN EXPO East.

Read the full May 2025 issue.

Features

The Future is Now
AI-enabled software is already tracking and acting upon school bus driver skills behind the wheel and the adherence of motorists to school bus stop laws. Camera manufacturers discuss how the technology could impact and even predict onboard behavior as well.

Seeking Peace of Mind
The current regulatory climate leaves uncertainty for the future of federal funding of alternative fuels, especially electric school buses. Readers react as they finalize their budget requests for the coming school year.

Defining Your Danger Zone
Many solutions exist that promise increased student safety in and around the school bus. Choosing the technology or equipment to deploy differs based on the environment and threats to the “Danger Zone.”

Special Reports

School Bus Wi-Fi in Flux?
With the U.S. Supreme Court weighing its ruling on the constitutionality of the Universal Services Fund, the FCC could choose to remove funding for school bus Wi-Fi hotspots from E-Rate. The program has proven to be successful for students. Its political opponents say the funding exceeds Congress’ intent.

Q&A: Wyskiel Steers Blue Bird Toward its Second Century
Eyeing its upcoming 100th birthday in 2027, the school bus manufacturer turns to the industry and production experience of John Wyskiel to lead the company and service its customers.

STN EXPO East in Photos
View photos from STN EXPO East, held in Concord, North Carolina near Charlotte in March.

Feedback
Online
Ad Index

Editor’s Take by Ryan Gray
Avoiding Blurred Lines of Reality

Thought Leader by Robert Pudlewski
A Fuel Purchasing Method Worth Considering: The Fixed Forward Fuel Contract

Publisher’s Corner by Tony Corpin
Transportation Collaboration

The post May 2025 appeared first on School Transportation News.

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