School bus drivers witness many motorists illegally passing stopped buses every day, putting children in danger. A national study found over 37,000 incidents of vehicles illegally passing stopped buses in one school year. To address this problem, some school districts are piloting cameras on buses to capture images of violating vehicles and change driver behavior. A pilot program in Volusia County, Florida recorded 71 violations in 29 days from one bus, demonstrating the need for enforcement. States have started passing laws allowing the use of stop arm cameras on buses to prosecute violators and increase safety for children boarding and exiting school buses.

1. February 1, 2013
Cameras Curb Illegal Passing of School Buses
Over 800,000 young people are transported in school buses every school day. While school
buses are considered the safest mode of transportation for getting children back and forth to
school, per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the trip can be
unnerving for bus drivers who feel responsible for these students safety. That’s because each
day they witness motorists who ignore the flashing lights and illegally pass stopped buses
putting children in danger.
There is no greater tragedy than the loss of a child. There is no greater danger to a child than
during the trip to and from school when the young student steps on or off their school bus.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration an average of twenty-one
children die each year either going to or exiting from school buses.
In 2011, a national study revealed the alarming number of motorists that illegally pass stopped
school buses. Almost 112,000 school bus drivers in 28 states kept track of how many times
other motorists passed their school buses illegally while the buses were stopped and were
displaying their flashing red lights and stop arms. The drivers reported more than 37,000
incidents, involving more than 76,000 vehicles. Conducted by the National Association of State
Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, the study results represent well over 13 million
violations by private motorists in a single school year.
It’s impossible for police to monitor every school bus to ensure drivers stop while children cross
the road to and from their bus, but school bus drivers and school district officials have been
clamoring for something to be done to make motorists obey the traffic safety laws and stop for
school buses. In Iowa, “Kadyn’s law” named after 7-year-old Kadyn Halverson, who was killed
by a driver who illegally passed a stopped school bus calls stiffer penalties, bigger fines and for
a safety study to enhance bus driver safety education, pickup locations and mounting cameras
on buses to capture evidence for tickets and to deter repeat violations. In West Virginia, after
the tragic 2007 death of 6-year-old Haven Brooke McCarthy, new legislation was passed
increasing the fines and enacting stricter penalties for violating school bus safety laws.
To meet the growing concerns from parents, PTA’s and the community many school districts
are conducting their own school bus stop arm pilots to measure the number of vehicles illegally
passing stopped school buses. Results from a School Bus Stop Arm Pilot in Volusia County
School District in Florida confirmed that during a 29 day period cameras captured a total of 71
violations on just one of the county’s 229 buses.
“Our goal was to measure how many drivers disregard stopped school buses with the stop arm
extended and illegally pass them,” said Greg Akin, Director of Transportation for Volusia County
School District. “Keeping our children safe is our number one priority. We want to change driver
behavior in a positive way to protect the lives of the children who ride a school bus to and from
school every day.”

2. The results from this and other school bus stop arm pilots nationwide will be used to encourage
state legislation that allows violators be prosecuted by the evidence that these cameras provide.
Some states have already enacted their own legislation for the use of school bus safety
cameras. In Georgia, the nation’s leader in school bus fatalities, Senate Bill 353 was passed
into law in April 2012 authorizing solicitors and law enforcement agencies to utilize stop arm
cameras to prosecute violators of school bus stop arm laws. Thus far, eight additional states
have passed similar laws to equip school buses with cameras that will photograph and
videotape vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses that have the stop arm extended
and lights flashing. Similar to red-light cameras, these school bus safety cameras add a new
and important level of transportation safety for these children.
American Traffic Solutions’ CrossingGuard School Bus Stop Arm Enforcement System operates
independently and does not require any attention from the bus driver, allowing drivers to remain
focused solely on the children. Two cameras mounted on the outside of the bus are activated
when the bus automatically extends its stop sign. The system’s high-resolution cameras capture
both images and video of violating events. The evidence is reviewed by American Traffic Safety
technicians then forwarded to local police authorities who study the images and determine
whether a ticket will be issued.
This school bus safety camera program is set up to be fully funded through fines paid by school
bus arm violators. Taxpayers are not asked to pay for this system. The goal is to reduce the
number of motorists illegally passing school buses, thus decreasing the number of violations
and their potential for crashes, fatalities and injuries to children boarding and leaving the school
bus or crossing the road.
The goal of any school bus arm enforcement program is to reduce school bus arm violations
and increase safety in the community. The program is designed to enhance enforcement
abilities while freeing up police resources to focus in other areas. More importantly, it’s an
opportunity to educate and awaken drivers to the dangers of illegally passing school buses.
The most effective programs inform the public about the local school bus stop arm laws,
penalties associated with the violations, and warnings of the dangers that can occur from
running a school bus stop arm. When done prior to initiating a pilot program or actual camera
program, violations decrease over time bringing the community together with a better
understanding for public safety.
That’s what happened in Carroll County, Georgia where over 100 violations were recorded
within the first five days of the school system’s program. That number has decreased
significantly every week since.
“People are getting the word out,” Jackie Coffee, Carroll County school transportation director
said. “That word of mouth helps us — nobody wants these citations, so they tell their friends and
family members to be more careful. It’s making a difference.”