The Missouri Safety Center at the University of Central Missouri is teaming up with the Missouri School Boards’ Association and several other agencies for the “Take 1 for Zero” project, funded through the Missouri Department of Transportation Highway Safety and Traffic Division. The project involves several partners including th Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Center for Education Safety, The Missouri Parent Teacher Association, Missouri Association of Student Councils, Missouri Association of Pupil Transport, nationally recognized traffic safety specialist Cara Filler and other traffic safety partners throughout the state.

The goal of the project is to make “1” major impact on roadway safety by focusing on school bus stop arm violations throughout Missouri. This is the act of passing a stopped school bus with red lights flashing Data from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation (NASDPTS) shows:

-17 million motorists commit stop-arm violations each school year.
-95,494 illegal passes were recorded from a 2019 survey of thirty-nine states conducted by NASDPTS.
-sixty percent of motorists passed from the front of the bus and ninety-seven percent passed on the left side of the bus(stop-arm side), according to the NASDPTS survey.

The Missouri Safety Center is participating in all areas but will focus on data-gathering methods for identification of the problem in Missouri. The project runs through September 30, 2023 but it is hoped that the progress for the initial project will lead to further funding in the future.