Fifty-state roadmap presents 69 concrete recommendations to make it safer for kids getting on and off the bus.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
GHSA: Adam Snider (GHSA), 202-365-8971
Kate Spree (BusPatrol), 438-939-9869
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and BusPatrol today released a landmark 50-state action plan for eliminating widespread illegal school bus passings and the death, injuries and emotional trauma that are associated with them.
A National Action Plan for School Bus Safety is the first-ever comprehensive national roadmap to protect the 20 million children who rely on the nation’s 500,000 school buses every day. Drivers in the United States illegally pass school bus stop-arms approximately 39 million times each year. That’s the equivalent of every school bus in the United States being illegally passed once every three days.
To address this child safety crisis, the action plan includes 69 specific recommendations for State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs), law enforcement, educators, school districts, bus drivers, the private sector, autonomous vehicle providers, roadway safety advocates and the judiciary. These recommendations were informed by the expert panel discussions and audience feedback during the inaugural National School Bus Safety Summit. That event, held in December 2025 by BusPatrol with support from GHSA and Safe Kids Worldwide, convened nearly 500 experts, including federal and state officials, law enforcement, and myriad roadway and child safety organizations.
The status quo in school bus safety is unacceptable. A total of 1,279 children have been killed in the 10-foot “danger zone” around school buses over the past five decades. These deaths are more than ten times the number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat during the first Gulf War and exceed the number of U.S. firefighters killed in the line of duty over the last decade. Beyond these fatalities, more than 13,000 injuries occur annually, creating widespread but invisible emotional trauma for children who often associate going to school with the fear of death.
“Illegal and deadly school bus passings are 100% preventable. We must create a new national dialogue and assemble innovative partner networks,” said GHSA Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins. “This action plan moves us past isolated efforts toward a coordinated national strategy, utilizing a Safe System approach to ensure that every child’s journey to and from school is defined by safety, not fear.”
“School Bus Safety is a longstanding public health concern of the National Transportation Safety Board with dozens of recommendations dating back for decades,” said NTSB Board Member J. Todd Inman. “By addressing the underlying issues of speed, distraction, impairment, and reckless driving, we can ensure that every child has a safe journey to and home from school. The time to act is now.”
“This action plan is a turning point for child safety in America,” said Justin Meyers, President and Chief Innovation Officer of BusPatrol. “Together with GHSA, Safe Kids Worldwide and the hundreds of experts who helped shape the National School Bus Safety Summit, we now have a clear, evidence-based roadmap to end illegal school bus passings. BusPatrol is proud to partner with GHSA and the many stakeholders whose ideas informed this report, and in the weeks and months ahead we’ll be traveling across the country to meet with communities, educators, law enforcement and policymakers to bring these recommendations to life. Our goal is simple: work side-by-side with local leaders to adopt the solutions outlined in this plan and make every child’s trip to and from school safer.”
The action plan proposes 69 specific, impactful recommendations for a diverse array of stakeholders to create a redundant, multi-layered safety net that protects children near the school bus. Key recommendations include:
The action plan emphasizes that while school buses remain the safest form of student transportation, that safety is currently undermined by a systemic failure of awareness and accountability. By aligning the efforts of government, schools, law enforcement, and private partners, the blueprint aims to turn the school bus stop-arm from a suggestion into an undeniable command.
BusPatrol also announced the launch of a national school bus safety roadshow, where company leaders will visit communities across the country to share the findings of the National Action Plan with local officials, educators, transportation leaders and parent groups. These sessions will provide an opportunity to review the report’s recommendations, hear local concerns and collaborate on practical steps communities can take to strengthen enforcement, education and technology programs that protect students around the school bus.
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The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) is a nonprofit association representing the highway safety offices of states, territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. GHSA provides leadership and representation for the states and territories to improve traffic safety, influence national policy, enhance program management and promote best practices. Its members are appointed by their Governors to administer federal and state highway safety funds and implement state highway safety plans.
BusPatrol is the most deployed school bus stop-arm safety technology solution in the nation, protecting nearly two million students across 40,000 buses. Using advanced AI, machine learning, and telematics, BusPatrol helps communities reduce illegal passings and make roads safer for every child.
