Patrol Vehicles will follow School Buses on Routes

Buffalo, NY – Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard announces Deputies will be taking part in Operation Safe Stop Thursday, April 26th.  The sheriff’s office will have multiple marked and unmarked vehicles patrolling selected bus routes that have a history of illegal passing complaints within the sheriff’s primary patrol districts. 

Operation Safe Stop’s statewide enforcement against passing stopped school buses will be conducted on April 26, with two details; 6-9 a.m. and 2-5 p.m.  The Deputies will focus on the dangerous driving behavior of illegal passing stopped school buses which put our children at risk of injury and possible death and strict enforcement of vehicle and traffic laws protecting our children and school buses.

The Sheriff’s Office has participated in Operation Safe Stop Day since October 2003. Since the inception of this partnership, law enforcement agencies, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, and the New York Association for Pupil Transportation have been active in coordinating this traffic safety initiative. The goal of Operation Safe Stop is to reduce fatalities and personal injuries of school children through the use of highly visible enforcement with the goal of educating motorists of the laws against illegally passing stopped school buses.

Penalties for passing a stopped school bus range from:

First conviction – fine of $250.00 - $400.00; up to 30 days in jail; 5 points

Second Conviction (within 3-years) - fine of $600.00 - $750.00; up to 180 days in jail;

Third or subsequent conviction (within 3-years) - $750.00 - $1000.00; up to 180 days in jail

The New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee estimates 50,000 motor vehicles illegally pass school buses every day.