Poster Cautions Drivers to Stay Alert

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 25, 2008) — While the Transportation Security Administration’s Congress-mandated threat assessment of school buses is still in the works, the Highway and Motor Carrier division has stepped up its efforts by not only updating its School Transportation Security Awareness (STSA) program Web site but by recently releasing a poster entitled "Watch for Suspicious Items and Behaviors."

The new poster includes information on the characteristics of suspicious items and behaviors, as well as some examples of each, including metal boxes and other “out of place” items. It also lists some suggestions for drivers if they experience these types of situations. At the bottom of the poster, the TSA has included a "Suspicious Reporting Number" for each state to disseminate to bus drivers for notifying authorities of suspicious activities.

In related news, the STSA Web site has a new address. Visitors can watch a 24-minute video of a simulated school bus hijacking in either English or Spanish and can also order a DVD version by emailing the Highway and Motor Carrier division. An online training compontent was currently unavailable, according to the TSA Web site, as modifications were being made to the web site.

The STSA program was developed in the fall of 2005 by the TSA in collaboration with NASDPTS, NAPT and NSTA to disseminate security awareness information and training to the industry.