Back-to-School Means More Traffic – It Doesn’t Have to Mean More Risk

As students return to school, communities are taking action to address dangerous driving around schools and school buses. Recent survey data shows parents and caregivers share concerns about unsafe driving around students, while results from established school safety programs indicate that driver behavior can change over time.

Parents Are Seeing the Risk

School zones and school bus stops remain areas of concern for families across the country.

According to recent survey data, 56% of parents and caregivers reported witnessing speeding in a school zone, 49% had seen distracted driving, and 43% had witnessed a near-miss.

The concern extends to school buses. Thirty-seven percent had seen a driver illegally pass a stopped school bus, and 33% had witnessed a near-miss near a stopped bus.

Overall, 63% of parents and caregivers cite reckless drivers as a top concern when it comes to their children traveling to and from school.

Communities Are Taking Action

 As another school year begins, communities are introducing new measures to help protect students. Verra Mobility is launching new school bus stop-arm safety programs with Hall County, Georgia, and Lake County, Florida. The Osceola County School Board in Florida has also approved a school bus stop-arm safety program.

These new initiatives build on results from established school zone and school bus safety programs that have seen substantial declines in dangerous driving behaviors over time.

The Data Shows Change Is Possible 

New data from Verra Mobility’s school bus stop-arm safety programs show that 98% of drivers who received a stop-arm violation during the 2025-26 school year did not repeat the offense. On average, programs saw a 53% decline in citations from the beginning to the end of the school year.

School zone safety programs are also showing significant results. An independent study conducted by the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation Research and funded by the Florida Department of Transportation evaluated Verra Mobility-operated school zone speed safety programs in St. Cloud and Osceola County, Florida. Across 18 school zone speed cameras, researchers found that speeding violations declined by 93% during the 30-day warning period and by 97% after citation enforcement began.

Atlanta has experienced similar results. The city’s school zone safety program saw a 50% reduction in speeding during its first month, a 75% reduction within four months and an 87% reduction since launch. Atlanta Public Schools also saw a 47% reduction in school bus stop-arm citations during the 2025-26 school year.

Together, these results show what communities can achieve when safety programs are designed to encourage compliance and sustained changes in driver behavior.

 Parents Are Calling for Action

 Families are not only concerned about dangerous driving, many also support measures designed to address it. Forty-five percent of parents and caregivers want stricter enforcement of traffic laws around schools. Seventy percent support school zone cameras, and 82% support school bus stop-arm enforcement.

This aligns with the survey results, highlighting that one in five respondents do not believe their child’s school has enough safety measures in place.

A Shared Responsibility 

Every child deserves a safe trip to and from school. The data shows that dangerous driving behaviors remain a significant concern during the school year, but it also demonstrates that communities can make meaningful progress when they prioritize safety.

As students head back to the classroom, creating safer school zones and safer bus stops remains a responsibility shared by drivers, families, schools, and communities.

Back-to-school should be a time of excitement and opportunity. By staying alert, slowing down, and prioritizing safety around schools and school buses, communities can help ensure students arrive safely every day.