Operation Safe Stop Initiative in Poughkeepsie April 28th

Chances are if you commute anywhere around the Hudson Valley on a fairly regular basis, you've found yourself in the general vicinity of a local school bus. We know that buses make frequent stops in the area, and as motorists, it is our responsibility to be aware of the rules and regulations of the road when it comes to school bus safety.

Did you know an estimated 50,000 motor vehicles illegally pass New York State school buses every day? This is according to statistics provided by trafficsafety.ny.gov.

Police Presence Near School Busses on April 28th

On Thursday, April 28th, you may notice something a bit different when it comes to school buses traveling, specifically in the Poughkeepsie area. As part of Operation Safe Stop, local officers will be out monitoring bus safety. You will notice Poughkeepsie Police present in the community monitoring school busses, and those driving around them. In the Town of Poughkeepsie's announcement about the initiative, they indicated that officers 'will be looking to make sure that other vehicles are obeying the law, and that bus drivers are driving safely.'

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More About Operation Safe Stop

As a whole, the goal of Operation Safe Stop is to 'promote school bus safety through education and enforcement efforts.' The initiative is part of a larger umbrella under the New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee's No Empty Chair Campaign and is also supported by the New York State Education Department, the New York Association for Pupil Transportation, the New York State School Bus Contractors Association, the student transportation industry, and state, county, city, and local law enforcement agencies.

General School Bus Traffic Safety Tips

The Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department shared the following important bus safety tips for motorists:

Be patient! School buses travel at slower speeds and make frequent stops.
Yellow lights mean the bus is going to stop, slow down!
Stop, for a school bus with red lights flashing, on both sides of the street and on divided highways.
Where there are school buses there are children! Watch for kids crossing the street and getting on/off the bus.

While Operation Safe Stop is going to put police out on the roads specifically on April 28th to help increase bus safety, it is crucial that we, as Hudson Valley motorists, pay extra close attention when driving in the vicinity of a school bus every single time we are on the road.