LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan State Police troopers want to make sure students are safe when traveling to and from school. That’s why they are ramping up patrols during “Operation Safe Stop” to catch drivers illegally passing school buses.

“Operation Safe Stop” (OSS) is a statewide enforcement campaign that runs this week in conjunction with School Bus Safety Week. The enforcement efforts will focus on drivers who ignore the flashing red lights on the bus and the “Stop” arm which extends from a school bus when it is stopped to pick up or drop off students.

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“Every time a driver ignores the flashing lights or Stop arm of a school bus, they are putting a student’s life in danger,” said Kellie Dean, CEO of Dean Transportation. “‘Operation Safe Stop’ will help keep students safe and will educate drivers on how to safely share the road with buses.”

The 2023 statistics from the Michigan State Police Criminal Justice Information Center (CJIC) show that the need for enforcement is ongoing. Last year, there were 988 crashes involving school buses, and five people died. In addition, 73 crashes occurred at school bus stops. Those crashes resulted in 31 injuries. October marked the highest number of school bus-involved crashes with 134.

For more information about bus safety click here.