Westchester County's School Bus Safety Program has led to a significant decline in illegal school bus passing violations, according to the program's 2025-2026 Annual Report.
The report found a 23.8% decline in violations during the program's first full year, indicating that more drivers are complying with school bus stopping laws and improving student safety.
Since the program launched during National School Bus Safety Week in October 2024, the County has partnered with BusPatrol to equip school buses with AI-powered stop-arm cameras that capture vehicles illegally passing stopped buses. Each recorded violation is reviewed by law enforcement before a citation is issued.
What the Westchester school bus safety annual report reveals
The report found that citations declined from 17,867 during the 2024-2025 school year to 13,621 through June of the 2025-2026 school year.
Average monthly violations also dropped from 1,786 to 1,513, suggesting that motorists are becoming more aware of school bus stopping laws and changing their driving habits.
In a news release, Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said the results demonstrate the program's positive impact while emphasizing that more work remains.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our children," Jenkins said. "This report shows that our School Bus Safety Program is changing driver behavior and making our roads safer for students traveling to and from school.”
Data helps target enforcement and education
Beyond reducing violations, the program provides valuable data to help improve traffic safety across the county. According to the report, only 4.92% of citations were issued to repeat offenders, indicating that enforcement is encouraging long-term changes in driver behavior.
The report also showed that approximately 31% of enforcement activity occurred along the county's 20 highest-risk roadways.
The press release emphasized that by identifying high-risk roadways, it can help officials to see where additional enforcement, public education and safety improvements can be further utilized.
Westchester aims to expand student safety
The School Bus Safety Program currently serves students in 22 participating school districts across Westchester County, including Lakeland, Mamaroneck, Ossining, Eastchester, Tarrytown, Blind Brook-Rye, Rye Neck, Katonah-Lewisboro, Greenburgh, Hendrick Hudson, Croton-Harmon, Tuckahoe, Irvington, Bedford Central, Bronxville, Pelham, Ardsley, Yorktown Central, Briarcliff Manor, Port Chester-Rye, Mount Pleasant Central and Harrison.
According to the county news release, the camera technology is installed, operated and maintained at no cost to participating school districts or taxpayers.
Westchester plans to continue working with school districts and BusPatrol to monitor violation trends and educate motorists about New York State's school bus stopping law.
“While we are encouraged by this progress, every illegal passing violation is one too many, and we will continue working with our school districts and law enforcement partners to protect our children,” Jenkins said.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Westchester school bus safety report shows drop in illegal passing
