Poughkeepsie … In anticipation of Safe Stop Education and Enforcement Day on Thursday, April 25th, Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino announced today Hyde Park Central School District (HPCSD) driver Linda Lawlor has been named the recipient of the 21st Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year Award, recognizing her exemplary service and safety record transporting students to and from school. The award, part of the Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board’s efforts to promote school bus safety, is given in conjunction with the launch of the annual Operation Safe Stop Project supported by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.
New York State Vehicle and Traffic law requires drivers to stop from either direction, even on a divided highway, any time a school bus’s red lights are flashing. Passing a school bus with red lights is not only dangerous, but it is illegal and punishable with fines ranging from $250 to $1,000; a motorist may also be assessed five points on their driver’s license, and penalties can include possible imprisonment (up to 30 days for first offense and 180 days for a third or subsequent conviction).
On Operation Safe Stop Education and Enforcement Day, County, state and local law enforcement agencies will shadow school buses to identify and ticket drivers who do not obey the flashing red lights on a stopped school bus. Law enforcement throughout Dutchess County will target enforcement efforts at what school transportation officials have identified as “hot spots,” where most violations typically occur.
County Executive Serino said, “Children are our most precious passengers, and they deserve a safe ride to and from school each day. We all can learn from Linda Lawlor and her dedication to safe driving, ensuring the students on her bus enjoy safe rides every day of the school year. We thank Ms. Lawlor for setting an example for all of us to follow, making children’s safety a priority when we get behind the wheel.”
The County Executive today presented Ms. Lawlor, who has been a school bus driver for 18 years – including the last 10 for the HPCSD – without a preventable collision, with a commemorative plaque and honored her as the Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year at the Operation Safe Stop kickoff press conference.
Ms. Lawlor is the first Dutchess County School Bus Driver of the Year honoree from the Hyde Park Central School District to receive of the award.
“Being a school bus driver has its challenges,” Ms. Lawlor wrote in letter accompanying HPCSD Director of Transportation Tamara Fielding’s nomination of her, “and when you add all the years of bus drivers in Hyde Park, you have hundreds of years of experience, and I learn every day from both veteran drivers and new drivers. It’s a difficult job and the bus driver shortage is tough on all of us, but our job is to get your children to and from school safely. I know that is my goal every day!”
The Dutchess County Traffic Safety Board’s School Bus Driver of the Year award seeks to promote school bus safety through education and enforcement efforts. School bus drivers are an integral part of the safe transportation of school children, and crashes and related injuries are prevented by these highly trained professionals’ experience, skill and daily performance.
The annual award was initiated in 2002 to increase public awareness regarding school bus safety issues and to recognize school bus drivers who get children to and from school safely on a daily basis; due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no award was given out in 2020 and 2021.
Honoring the School Bus Driver of the Year and recognizing Safe Stop Education and Enforcement Day are just two of Dutchess County’s measures to help ensure school bus safety.
The County’s school bus camera safety program, in collaboration with BusPatrol LLC, began in December 2021 helps enforce adherence to the State law requiring motorists to come to a complete stop when a stopped school bus has its red lights flashing. The County program provides every district in the County access to advanced safety technology, including stop-arm cameras to help enforce traffic laws and educate motorists on the dangers of passing school buses, at no cost to local taxpayers.
Nine of the 13 school districts within Dutchess County have joined the partnership, with 29,650 violations being issued to motorists, as of March 31, 2024.
According to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, an estimated 50,000 motorists illegally pass stopped school buses every day in New York State, putting the lives and safety of children at risk.
