Future school buses used in the state will need to have an extra safety device.
Sponsored by Rep. Larry Howes (R-Walker) and Sen. Pam Wolf (R-Spring Lake Park), a new law will require all school buses used in the state that are manufactured after Jan. 1, 2013, to be equipped with a crossing control arm on the front right bumper that automatically expands out whenever the bus is stopped and the flashing red lights are in use.
It costs about $300-$350 for a new bus to have the approximately 8-foot arm, a small price to help keep children safe, supporters say. If an elementary school student is too close to a bus, the driver may not see them over the hood.
Howes said many buses in the Twin Cities metropolitan area already have such a crossing arm, partially because districts require them in bus operator contracts, but it is rare in northern Minnesota.
The law, signed March 29 by Gov. Mark Dayton and effective Aug. 1, 2012, also provides permissive authority for the placement of cameras on buses, modifies color requirements and allowed equipment around the flashing signal lamps and eliminates minimum seat depth and seat back height requirements because those are addressed in federal law. This will raise the minimum seat back height from 20 to 24 inches.
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