Operation Safe Stop & School Bus Safety Awards

Back in October, PennDOT partnered with the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania
Department of Education, and the Cumberland Valley School District’s transportation partners to
conduct events for Operation Safe Stop and our annual School Bus Safety poster contest.

Operation Safe Stop is intended to highlight the importance of school transportation safety and
point out the potential challenges of school transportation when it comes to changing daylight
conditions. The events are held with local and state police departments, school districts, and student
transportation to place appropriate enforcement and raise awareness for the consequences of improper
safety.

“Local school districts work hard to identify the safest locations possible for school bus stops
and to train their staff. But to ensure that students remain out of harm’s way, we urge all drivers to
watch for flashing lights of school buses and to always stop when students are getting on and off.”

Operation Safe Stop is implied due to people breaking the law, the School Bus Stopping Law.
Motorists traveling from all directions are required to stop at least 10 feet away from the bus when
approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing and a stop sign extended. The results of Operation
Safe Stop showed 147 violations of the law that were reported by school districts and law enforcement
agencies. Motorists traveling from the opposite side of a divided highway are not required to stop.

“We unfortunately saw more people breaking the School Bus Stopping Law last year so we’re
reminding motorists of its importance,” said PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards. “With additional
challenges such as darkness coinciding with more students’ school bus ride times and the distraction of
the quickly approaching holiday season, it is important that motorists remain vigilant whole sharing the
road with school buses and students.”

PennDOT Deputy Secretary for Driver and Vehicle Services Kurt Meyers and other Pennsylvania
school bus safety advocates honored 9 students who communicated school bus safety messages and 6
school bus drivers for their excellent safe driving skills. The competition is held each June for school bus
drivers to test their knowledge and skills on school bus safety and safe operations of their school buses.
A ceremony was held at the Governor’s Residence back in October where PennDOT Bureau of Driver
Licensing Director Kara Templeton and Captain Robert Krol, assistant director of the Bureau of Patrol of
the Pennsylvania State Police, presented awards and governor’s certifications to the 6 school bus drivers
who won the 2018 Pennsylvania School Bus Driver Safety Competition.

The winners of the School Bus Safety poster contest were chosen from 352 public and private
schools. The first-place entries will move on to a national competition that will take place at the end of
October. Students K-8 participated in the 2018 School Bus Safety poster contest and had the theme of
“My School Bus, the Safest Form of Transportation” because students and parents trust the
commitment of the school bus drivers handling their children’s safety.

The student winners of 2018:

 K-2
o 1st: Maya Bearden, Eagleville Elementary School, Eagleville, Montgomery County
 o 2nd: Amanda Sommer, Conneaut Valley Elementary School, Pine Grove,
Schuylkill County
o 3rd: Kaylynn Fidler, Pine Grove Area Elementary School, Pine Grove, Schuylkill
County
 3-5
o 1st: Alivia Spitz, Reiffton School, Reading, Berks County
o 2nd: Sally Nguyen, Reiffton School, Reading, Berks County
o 3rd: Lee Edgell, Friendship Hill Elementary School, Port Marion, Fayette County
 6-8
o 1st: Lauren Schmader, Brockway Area Jr/Sr High School, Brockway, Jefferson
County
o 2nd: Desteny Keiser, Upper Dauphin Area Middle School, Lykens, Dauphin
County
o 3rd: Emalie Brown, Upper Dauphin Area Middle School, Lykens, Dauphin County

The school bus driver winners of 2018:

 Conventional Bus
o 1st: Shanon O’Brien, Chester County, Krapf Bus Companies
o 2nd: Larry Hannon, Sr., Bucks County, Krapf Bus Companies
o 3rd: Larry Hannon, Jr., Bucks County, Krapf Bus Companies
 Transit Bus
o 1st: Micahel Webster, Lebanon County, Brightbill Transportation
o 2nd: Ruth Del Vecchio, Chester County, Krapf Bus Companies
o 3rd: Beth McGowan, Montgomery County, Lower Merion School District

PennDOT will continue to partner with Pennsylvania State Police and other officials to ensure
safe school transportation and highlight the appropriate enforcement to raise awareness of the
consequences of improper safety. For more information on school transportation, visit School
Bus Safety Tips.