ENHANCED REAR LIGHTS FOR SCHOOL BUSES
House Bill 5507 (Substitute H-1)
Sponsor: Rep. Holly Hughes
Committee: Transportation
Complete to 5-7-12
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 5507 AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON 5-2-12
The bill would amend the Pupil Transportation Act to require that a school bus be equipped with enhanced rear lighting at the rear of the school bus that is designed to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities resulting from the collision of motor vehicles with the rear ends of school buses. The bill would apply to school buses manufactured after the effective date the bill.
Under the bill, the Department of Education would be required to develop specifications for the enhanced rear lighting and to consult with statewide associations on pupil transportation to do so. The bill would also require a school bus to display illuminated headlamps at all times during operation. The bill would create a new Section 12, which would be referred to as the "Privacky Law."
Proposed MCL 257.1812.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Reportedly similar devices have been in use in Georgia and Alabama and currently can be an added specification installed by school bus manufacturers. The reported added cost, according to the Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation, for these enhanced lighting devices is about $390 per bus. The association estimates that approximately 1,000 new school buses are added to school transportation fleets annually, meaning the statewide cost would be about $390,000 annually for public and private school transportation providers. The replacement cycle for a school bus is about 12-15 years.
While the bill does not mandate the enhanced lighting devices be installed on existing school buses, the association notes that as an after-market addition, the cost of installing these enhanced lighting devices would be about $465 per bus. The association notes that there are about 17,500 schools buses currently in use among public and private schools, with about 15,000 of those buses actively used. Should school districts (public and private) voluntarily opt to install these devices in their existing fleet, the cost would be in the range of $7.0 million-$7.7 million in total statewide.
POSITIONS:
Department of Education supports the bill. (5-2-12)
Michigan Association for Pupil Transportation supports the bill. (5-2-12)
County Road Association of Michigan is neutral on the bill. (5-2-12)
Fiscal Analyst: Mark Wolf
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.