South Fallsburg, N.Y. (April 25, 2013) – Rolling V Bus Corp., a Sullivan County-based bus transportation company, once again participated in the annual Operation Safe Stop Day, a statewide initiative to promote school bus safety.
On Thursday, April 18, school districts and police in Sullivan County and around New York State worked together during this year’s Operation Safe Stop Day, a program started in 1993 that promotes stopping for school buses. It’s a collaboration of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, county Traffic Safety Boards, the state Education Department and Department of Motor Vehicles.
“Passing school buses presents a significant risk of injury or harm to our precious customers – the children of our school district,” said Ken Engle, Head of Safety & Training at Rolling V. “School bus safety isn’t just for kids. This is a great initiative that holds drivers accountable for their actions around school buses.”
For Operation Safe Stop Day, Rolling V’s safety team works with local law enforcement to identify known trouble routes for motorists who illegally pass school buses. Though school bus drivers are not allowed to stop a vehicle as the local law enforcement can, the driver can report a vehicle to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, who could issue warnings and fines, which could range from $250 to $400 for the first violation, five points on the registered motorists license and even imprisonment.
In the past several years on Operation Safe Stop Day, an average of 1,300 tickets were written daily by local and state police for illegal passing of school buses, according to the New York Association for Pupil Transportation. On any given day, an estimated 50,000 motorists statewide will pass a stopped school bus, according to the association.
Phil Vallone, president at Rolling V, added, “Safety is and always will be top priority at Rolling V. We’re proud to work with local law enforcement on Operation Safe Stop Day and every school day throughout the year to make sure our kids get to school and home safe every day.”
Rolling V Bus Corp. is a proud member of the New York School Bus Contractors Association and the American School Bus Council. The company is family-owned and operated by the Vallone and DeSabato families. The Vallone Family has been in the passenger transportation business for more than 50 years.
