New York State Executive Budget To Include Safety Measures For School Buses

ALBANY – New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo says his executive budget will include new measures to boost school bus safety.

According to a comprehensive plan unveiled by the Governor Wednesday, the new regulations will require students to wear seat belts while on the bus and authorize school district to use stop-arm cameras, a mesure New York State Senator Cathy Young has been fighting for.

“I applaud the news that Governor Cuomo has included in his budget proposal, the measure I’ve championed for many years, authorizing school districts to install stop-arm cameras on school buses,” said Young in a statement to WNYNewsNow. “This common-sense technology is able to detect and capture images of vehicles that pass stopped school buses so that lawbreakers can be ticketed and fined.”

Young said in states where the technology is already in use, reports indicate that the cameras result in violation declines of between 30 to 50 percent.

The Governor also wants to increase fines for those who pass stopped school buses.

As for the seat beat regulations, currently all school buses in the state must have at least lap seat-belts- but Cuomo wants students to actually wear them.