Cumberland City Councillor Stephen Blais launched the “I Stop, You Stop” road safety campaign at Maple Ridge Elementary School in Orléans.

“I Stop, You Stop” in an educational campaign from Safer Roads Ottawa to remind motorists of the importance of stopping for school buses whose lights are flashing and stop arms deployed.

“We can all agree that there is never an excuse for passing a school bus whose stop arm is out,” says Blais. “This is an egregious traffic violation that puts the lives of our children at risk.”

Road signs, three feet by six feet, will be installed in the East district of the City of Ottawa to raise awareness about stopping for school buses. Larger permanent road signs will also be installed later this spring.

“There’s an epidemic of vehicles driving through the red warning signals from school buses in the Ottawa area,” says Kathleen Both, owner, M.L. Bradley bus lines. “I applaud Councillor Blais for working to improve the safety of our most precious and vulnerable cargo.”

Safer Roads Ottawa is a partnership between Ottawa Fire Services, Ottawa Paramedic Service, Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Public Health and the Public Works Department, committed to preventing or eliminating road deaths and serious injuries for all people in the City of Ottawa, through culture change, community engagement, and development of a sustainable safe transportation environment.