New P.E.I. school buses equipped with dual-stop arm to reduce drive-bys
New school buses in the province are equipped with features to help reduce the number of vehicles that drive by when buses are stopped to pick up and drop off students.
The new buses have a stop arm at both the front and back of the bus.
A second stop arm at the rear has been proven to reduce drive-by incidents in other provinces, the government says.
The province says buses with the dual-stop arm will be placed on routes with high pass-by incident rates.
The provincial government purchased 30 new school buses over the past two years at a cost of more than $3 million.
The province is also exploring a range of new school bus options, including alternate fuels, as part of its plan to reduce carbon emissions.
Students head back to school Sept. 7, and drivers are reminded to keep an eye out for buses that are picking up or dropping off children.
Drivers travelling in both directions must stop for a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing. Drivers should stop a safe d
istance from the bus and refrain from moving forward until the red lights have stopped flashing and the bus begins to move.