Schools

State Pushes to End Drunk School Bus Driving

Lawmakers propose installing breathalyzers that lock and unlock ignitions.

This article was posted by Caitlin Nolan. It was written and reported by C. Zawadi Morris. 

State lawmakers are working on passing a bill requiring school buses come equipped with interlocks the driver breathes into to prove whether he or she is intoxicated before the ignition will work, reports the Times-Union.   

The move to pass the bill comes on the heels of an increase in reported bus accidents involving drunk bus drivers, with at least four in Long Island in the last six months— one in which a bus ran into a house.     
However, the cost to install such devises statewide could run upwards $100 million, and bus company and school officials are saying that it’s just too expensive.   

Paul Mori, a member of the state School Bus Contractors Association, said at a Thursday hearing on the matter that the state should leave it as a discretionary expense, and that the money could be better spent on proper supervision, such as training and screening each driver before they board their bus.


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