Brake for Kids Act Launches National Safety Campaign to Stop Drivers Illegally Passing School Buses

The new Brake for Kids Act of 2025 is all about getting drivers to stop ignoring the flashing lights on school buses. This bill establishes a massive, nationwide public safety campaign specifically aimed at educating the public on the dangers—and illegality—of passing a stopped school bus.

The Plan: A National Safety Blitz

This isn't going to be some small local PSA. The Secretary of Transportation is tasked with creating a national campaign that needs to hit all the major communication channels. We’re talking required airtime on major national television broadcasts, radio spots, and a heavy presence across social media platforms (Sec. 2). They are essentially launching a full-court press to make sure everyone knows the rules of the road when kids are loading or unloading a bus.

Crucially, the bill mandates the use of “edge service advertising,” which means you’ll likely see these safety messages on screens or signs near roads and transit hubs—think billboards, digital signs at bus stops, or even gas pump screens. The goal is maximum visibility, ensuring this message reaches drivers right before they get behind the wheel.

Paying for the Safety Message

So, where is the money coming from for this national ad blitz? The bill smartly avoids asking for new funding and instead directs the Secretary of Transportation to use existing funds already allocated under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Sec. 2). For regular folks, this is a double-edged sword: it’s great because it doesn’t require a new tax or appropriation, but it does mean that some money originally earmarked for other infrastructure projects—like fixing bridges or expanding broadband—will now be diverted to pay for these national safety ads. While the bill doesn't specify how much money is being moved, it’s a tradeoff we should keep an eye on.

Real-World Impact: Safer Trips to School

If this campaign works, the biggest beneficiaries are parents and school-aged kids. Every year, illegal passing incidents put kids at risk; this campaign aims to drastically cut down on those close calls. Imagine you’re a parent watching your first grader step off the bus—this bill aims to make that moment safer by ensuring drivers, even those who rarely encounter a school bus, understand the severity of the law. For bus drivers, who often act as the last line of defense, this increased public awareness could reduce stress and risk on their routes. This legislation is a straightforward move to use the power of advertising to solve a persistent public safety problem, potentially making the commute to school a lot less stressful for everyone involved.