PRINTER'S NO. 1963
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 355
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY MARTIN, LANGERHOLC, ARGALL, CULVER, FONTANA,
BOSCOLA, HAYWOOD, ROBINSON, DUSH, TARTAGLIONE, VOGEL,
BREWSTER, COMITTA, J. WARD, COSTA, BROWN, MILLER AND
PHILLIPS-HILL, OCTOBER 18, 2024
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, OCTOBER 18, 2024
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating October 21 through 25, 2024, as "School Bus Safety
2 Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, The Department of Transportation (PennDOT)
4 participates in "National School Bus Safety Week" in conjunction
5 with the National Association of Pupil Transportation; and
6 WHEREAS, Motorists must stop 10 feet away from school buses
7 that have their red lights flashing and stop arm extended; and
8 WHEREAS, Motorists must stop when they are behind a school
9 bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus
10 is stopped; and
11 WHEREAS, Motorists following or traveling alongside a school
12 bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing,
13 the stop arm is withdrawn and all children have reached safety;
14 and
15 WHEREAS, If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide
16 rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from
17 the school bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed
 1 without stopping; and
2 WHEREAS, PennDOT provides helpful tips to motorists, parents
3 and students to help ensure school bus safety; and
4 WHEREAS, According the most updated statistics provided by
5 the Pennsylvania School Bus Association (PSBA), each year
6 approximately 450,000 school buses travel an estimated 4.3
7 billion miles transporting roughly 23.5 million students to and
8 from school and school-related activities; and
9 WHEREAS, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
10 noted in its August 2024 report (Report) that from 2013 to 2022,
11 of the total 344,451 fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes, 976
12 (or 0.3%) were classified as school-transportation-related
13 crashes; and
14 WHEREAS, The fatal crash statistics presented represent a
15 decrease both in total number and overall percentage compared to
16 the June 2022 report that showed 1,009 crashes amongst the
17 326,149 total crashes nationwide; and
18 WHEREAS, Average fatalities associated with school-
19 transportation-related-crashes decreased from 113 annually to
20 108 annually between the reporting periods of 2011-2020 and
21 2013-2022; and
22 WHEREAS, The Report indicated that of the fatalities
23 associated with the aforementioned crashes, occupants of school
24 transportation vehicles accounted for approximately 10% of
25 fatalities, nonoccupants including pedestrians and bicyclists
26 accounted for approximately 19% of fatalities and occupants of
27 other vehicles involved in these crashes accounted for
28 approximately 71% of the total fatalities; and
29 WHEREAS, The Report stated that less than half, or 47%, of
30 school-transportation-related fatal crashes occurred in rural
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 1 areas; and
2 WHEREAS, Studies affirm that school buses represent the
3 safest way for children to travel to and from school-related
4 activities; and
5 WHEREAS, The outstanding safety record of school buses is due
6 to several factors, including the enhanced vehicle safety
7 standards that school buses must meet, the recognizable color of
8 school buses and the ability of school bus drivers to utilize
9 school bus lighting and signage to control traffic when children
10 are getting on or off the school bus; and
11 WHEREAS, School bus drivers are trained to provide direction
12 to children when crossing the road in front of the school bus,
13 which also contributes to their safety record; and
14 WHEREAS, PSBA provides additional resources to help ensure
15 safety of our school buses, school bus drivers and student
16 passengers; and
17 WHEREAS, School bus drivers are directly responsible for the
18 safety of Pennsylvania's children as they work to bring them to
19 their destinations safely and on time; and
20 WHEREAS, On October 23, 2023, Act 19 was signed into law in
21 Pennsylvania, extending and enhancing the school bus stop arm
22 enforcement program established under Act 159 of 2018; and
23 WHEREAS, With thousands of buses equipped to utilize the
24 program in school districts across this Commonwealth, Act 19
25 underscored the Pennsylvania Senate's ongoing commitment to the
26 safety of school-age children; therefore be it
27 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the week of October 21
28 through 25, 2024, as "School Bus Safety Week" in Pennsylvania;
29 and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the Senate encourage motorists, parents and
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1 students to abide by traffic laws, especially those concerning
2 school buses, and employ strategies that help guarantee the
3 safety of school bus passengers; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the Senate thank Pennsylvania's school bus
5 drivers for their ongoing work to guarantee that student
6 passengers arrive at their destinations safely and on time.
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