
As parents, we can’t help but feel a sense of relief when we see our children safely board the school bus. With nearly 1 in 4 drivers failing to stop for a school bus with its stop sign extended according to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), the risk is very real. Drivers often ignore the flashing lights, putting children at grave risk as they cross the street.
It's worth celebrating how innovations like BusGates’ stop arm extensions are working to protect our children.
It’s a simple but powerful technology that retrofits directly onto existing school bus stop signs. These stop arm extensions automatically deploy when the bus is stopped and the stop sign is extended, forming a visible physical barrier that reaches further into traffic lanes. This added visibility helps to prevent drivers from trying to pass the bus. It’s a solution that doesn’t require replacing the entire bus or making costly infrastructure changes, just a smart retrofit to an existing system.
In fact, BusGates’ stop arm extensions have been reported to reduce illegal drive-arounds by 95%, offering an improvement in safety. It’s reassuring to know that school districts are adopting these kinds of solutions to protect students.
These advancements are an important part of creating a future where technology makes our world safer. Here’s to a future where safety and innovation go hand in hand, ensuring that every child’s journey to and from school is as safe as possible.