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History
- Referred to transportation
- Referred to transportation
Companion bill
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Requires school buses be equipped with front crossing arms
In Assembly Committee · Transportation · Sponsor Catherine Nolan
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to school bus safety equipment
Purpose
To require the use of front crossing arms on school buses to improve the safety of children disembarking from school buses.
Summary of provisions
Adds a new paragraph (m) to subdivision 20 of §375 of the Vehicle and Traffic law to require that all new school busses, purchased or put into service after January 1, 2011, be equipped with front crossing arms meeting standards set by the Commissioner of Transportation.
Justification
New York State is regarded nationally as a leader in school bus safety. Death and injuries have been dramatically reduced over the past decade as the result of extensive bus driver training, compartmentalization of the seats, and the availability of seat belts. However, much remains to be done in this critically important area of highway safety. School bus accidents still occur and childrens' lives are still at risk, particularly in the loading and unloading zones. In a national study conducted on school bus fatalities during the 1998-1999 school year, half of the fatalities were caused by the child's own bus, rather than oncoming or passing motorists. Front crossing arms prevent children from entering the area of greatest risk of danger from a child's own bus. School buses equipped with front crossing arms were found to be 15 times safer than buses without front crossing arms, in a study by a state Department of Transportation of front school bus fatalities. The use of front crossing arms has been widely tested, used and verified as beneficial to the safety of children who ride school buses. In fact, at least 20 states currently mandate that school buses be equipped with front crossing arms.
Legislative history
2007-2008 Referred to Transportation (S.1535/A.7866) 2005 Transportation Committee (S.780-B). Similar legislation was introduced in: 2003-2004 Transportation Committee (S.2334). 2002 Rules Committee; 2001 Transportation Committee (S.2375-A/A.9277-A). 1999-2000 Transportation Committee (S.5287).
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.