September 25, 2002

East Lansing - The Michigan State Police announce that their vehicle safety inspectors conducted comprehensive equipment safety inspections on 18,170 school buses during the 2001-2002 school year, up from 18,005 last year and up from 17,090 in 1999.

The number of school buses passing inspection increased by almost five hundred, with 15,423 (84.88%) buses passing inspection on the first time, setting a new record in Michigan. Last year, 14,957 buses passed inspection (83.07%), and in 1999, only 13,328 buses (77.99%) passed inspection.

"This demonstrates a continuing commitment to the overall level of school bus safety in Michigan," stated Capt. Robert R. Powers, commanding officer of the State Police Motor Carrier Division. Captain Powers added, "The men and women responsible for maintaining school bus fleets across Michigan should receive a lot of credit for keeping school bus safety at such a high priority."

The number of buses "red-tagged" decreased this year, as only 1,800 buses (9.91%) received a red tag. Last year, 2,042 buses (11.34%) were red tagged, and in 1999, 2,467 buses (14.44%) were prevented from further operation until repaired. Another 947 buses (5.21%) were "yellow-tagged," which requires repairs to be made within 60 days. That number is also a decrease from last year, when 1,006 (5.59%) buses were yellow-tagged and in 1999 when 1,295 buses (7.58%) were yellow-tagged.

Complete inspection results for Michigan’s 856 public and private school bus fleets can be found on the Michigan State Police web site www.michigan.gov/msp within the next two weeks.

The Pupil Transportation Act (P.A. 187 of 1990) mandates that the Michigan State Police inspect each school bus annually. There are thirteen vehicle safety inspectors statewide who conduct the 198-point safety inspections.

The Michigan State Police will be awarding a Certificate of Excellence to each school district that achieved a 100 percent rate on the first inspection.

Read more press releases from the Michigan State Police.