February 26, 2020, is School Bus Driver Appreciation Day, and I want to give a big “thank you” to school bus drivers across the state!  They are everyday heroes, instrumental in keeping our children safe every day in the face of irresponsible drivers and unpredictable roads.

This week, the Minnesota Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee held a hearing regarding school bus safety and the dangers of not stopping for school bus stop signs. Senator Rich Draheim (R-Madison Lake) presented a bipartisan bill to increase education and awareness of the risks of cars passing school buses. The legislation would create a public relations campaign to convey the importance of stopping once a school bus has its stop sign extended and help highlight the shocking amount of infractions occurring in our state.

Each year, the Department of Public Safety conducts a one-day survey where they request all school bus drivers report how many stop-arm violations they witness on their routes for the day. Over the past five years, DPS has tallied an average of more than 600 violations on that single day, and that’s with fewer than 30 percent of drivers reporting. These numbers are horrifying, at best, and that type of behavior on our roads is absolutely unacceptable. One video, shown in the committee hearing, was of a little girl crossing the road to the school bus as a speeding driver missed hitting her by only a few feet. As a parent, it made my blood boil.

It’s unfortunate that an awareness campaign for this issue is even necessary. Minnesota statute currently classifies stop-arm violations as misdemeanors that carry a fine not less than $500; illegally passing on the passenger side or passing while the arm is out and a child is in the street or on the adjacent sidewalk is a gross misdemeanor. It is my hope that through this campaign we will see an improvement in safety for our children.