The Iowa Departments of Transportation and Education have released a School Bus Safety Studyto the Iowa Legislature.
Max Christensen, State Director of School Transportation with the Iowa Department of Education, says the study was done as part of Kadyn’s Law, which the legislature approved last year.
The law is named in memory of 7-year old Kadyn Halverson of Kensett, Iowa. Halverson was struck and killed by a driver who failed to stop as she crossed the street to get on the school bus.
The new law sets down stricter penalties for those who disobey traffic laws associated with school bus safety.
Christensen says the study looks at additional ways to make school buses safer, including same side of the street loading so kids don’t have to cross the road and cameras on stop arms.
"Stop arm cameras are probably very useful so far as being able to see that a violation has occurred and helping with the conviction of that person. Only problem with stop arm cameras is it’s something that happens after the fact and I think we need to do more education of the public so we don’t have people passing the stopped school buses in the first place.”
Christensen says another item suggested in the study is the installation of a second stop sign at the rear of the school bus.
He says this would increase the visibility of the stop sign for drivers approaching from the rear of the bus.