Massachusetts mother leads charge to make students leaving a school bus safer

A Massachusetts mom is leading a crusade to get a bill passed on Beacon Hill in Boston that will hopefully make the school bus experience safer for students in the state.

Maria Scheri is taking action concerning the illegal passing of school buses by motorists in Massachusetts and states that the legislation has worked in other states.

“I started a petition to urge the MA state legislature to pass the bill they have been sitting on for 11 years that would allow for the bus-stop arm cameras to enforce the violations by issuing a citation in the mail. 24 states have adopted the technology and they are finding a reduction in the number of repeat offenses and revenue from the citations is essentially paying for the program. If passed, this law would also promote traffic calming and hopefully will make people think twice about other school bus / school zone traffic violations.”

Scheri names her initiative S.T.O.P. (“Stop The Operator from Passing”) and states that the data suggests that drivers not obeying school bus stop signs happens all too often.

“Bus stop violations are a growing and real threat to children in Massachusetts and across the country. A survey conducted in 2022 by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) found that motorists illegally pass stopped school buses more than 41.8 million times a year throughout a 180-day school year.”

If you are interested in signing Scheri’s petition, click here.