Mohawk Area School District debuts new stop-arms with LED lights on school buses
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (KDKA) — A school district in Lawrence County is trying to make it safer for students getting on and off the bus.
Mohawk Area School District put a new feature on its buses to get drivers' attention and protect children. The district has four buses with extended stop-arms with red LED lights.
A little while back, Rick Dudzenski saw several cars blow by a stopped school bus.
"We see it from school students coming to school doing it. We have parents doing it. We have grandparents that do it. It's all over," he told KDKA-TV.
The director of operations for Mohawk Area School District said there are about 1,500 students in the district and roughly 800 take the bus. He hopes this new extension arm makes everyone safer.
"As we're traveling, we're on back roads, we're on roads that don't have street lights. It's a huge bonus for us," Dudzenski said.
As soon as the stop-arm moves, the lights and arm go into action, creating a bigger visual for drivers. So far, the bus drivers using the new stop-arms haven't had any issues in the two weeks the district has had them.
"They see the motorist stop sooner. They are starting to see motorists stop that maybe pass the bus before," Dudzenski said.
The district covers about 110 square miles, so some of the 21 buses could have routes that are about 45 to 50 minutes. The arm and lights cost about $550 and take about 20 to 25 minutes to install.
"If that save one student's life, God, you could do that a million times and never come close to the cost," Dudzenski said.
The goal is to have these stop-arms on the rest of the district's buses by next year.