Maine School Buses Get Added Safety Measure With Extended Stop Arms

According to News Center Maine, buses in RSU 57 are next level when it comes to students safety thanks to extended stop arms that have been added to the buses.

Matt Kearns is the Director of Transportation for RSU 57 in Waterboro, but before that he was a school bus driver. He's seen some things, and wants our students to get to and from school safely. Adding the extended stop arms have lowered the instances of passenger car violations associated with school buses. The biggest excuse that drivers give is that they didn't see the bus. The new arms extend an additional six feet past the standard 18 inches, this puts them into the other travel lane and increases visibility.

RSU 57 is one of the first school districts in Maine to add these new stop arms in an effort to prevent drivers from passing stopped buses that are picking up or dropping off students. They are a bit pricey at $2000 each, but worth every penny in my opinion.

The fleet of 9 buses carry about 9,000 kids every day while school is in session. Impatient drivers often ignore the stop lights flashing on the buses and pass anyway. The bus driver has a hard time getting a license plate number while keeping eyes on the student trying to exit the bus.