A One-Person Campaign Guntersville, Alabama doesn't have a large program to reduce stop-arm violations. But it does have Tony Simmons. For 19 years the illegal passing of stopped school buses has been Tony's pet peeve. The three local radio stations and the local TV station carry PSAs for Tony. He gets free advertisements from the newspapers in the county. When there is a particular spot that is experiencing a lot of violations, Tony will wander over to the police headquarters (on the same campus as the Marshall County Board of Education) and ask the trooper on duty in that area at that time to monitor the spot. But Tony is in his elelment when one of the school bus drivers can get the license plate number of a motorist passing a stopped school bus. Tony sends a notarized form to the Marshall County Probate Judge's Office (which includes the driver license division) requesting registration information. Once he receives the information, Tony sends a letter to the registered owner of the vehicle, informing the registered owner that the vehicle illegally passed a school bus on a particular date and time. The letter asks the owner to call Tony within 10 days to say who was driving the vehicle. Amazingly many of them do call. If the person calling seems remorseful and apologizes, Tony takes the opportunity to educate him about the law and the importance of stopping for school buses loading and unloading children (many of whom have to cross the street). However, if the person is belligerent, the Board of Education prosecutes. In 19 years the Board has prosecuted 200 cases and only lost three. Tony Simmons, Transportation Supervisor Marshall County Board of Education 12380 U.S. Highway 431 South Guntersville, AL 35976 256-582-2261 Fax: 256-582-1405