NEWLY camera-equipped school buses have begun rolling out to stop reckless drivers and keep kids safe while getting on and off.
A suburban school district in Illinois is leading the effort by issuing hefty stop arm violations against drivers who refuse to stop when a school bus lights are on, and its stop arm is extended outward.
Beginning this school year, all school buses transporting students from Indian Prairie District 204 in Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, will be equipped with a fourth camera next to the stop arm.
“A school bus stop sign is a stop sign, Ron Johnson, the director of support operations for Indian Prairie District 204, told Fox affiliate WFLD-TV.
“It is a traffic control device you have to stop. Just think these are children around school buses not necessarily looking for you to not stop.”
Johnson said during the last school year, only 15 tickets were issued to drivers who blew past school bus stop signs.
To Johnson, that’s a small number compared to the 1,100 routes school bus drivers run a day.
“Early childhood – 260 drivers, so 260 vehicles. So, 15 out of all those opportunities for a violation to be reported. We think we’re going to get a little bit more,” he added.
So far this school year, Johnson said that the district has seen more stop sign violations due to the fourth camera on their buses.
“This is our first year utilizing it, and we’re seeing a lot more stop arm violations being reported because it’s a little bit easier for drivers,” said Johnson.
“Every day. Every day, I personally have had up to five or six blown stop arms in one day,” driver James Canady told the outlet.
Before the additional camera was installed, school drivers were forced to manually write down and remember the model of the car, plate number, and the time and date of the violation.
However, now, with the push of a button, Canady can radio the First Student Transportation bus service dispatcher and inform them that a stop arm violation has occurred.
Then, the camera system automatically sends a video clip of the violation to the service road’s supervisors, who then forward it to the local police department, according to WFLD-TV.
Jeanne Junkas, the First Student Transportation road supervisor, called the new system “effective.”
“In one day, you can have 15 [violations],” she said.
In just over a month into the new school year, the Indian Prairie District 204 reportedly saw a 300% increase in the number of violations they’ve sent to local police.
The Naperville Police Department told WFLD-TV they’re working diligently to review the violations and determine if a warning or a citation should be issued.
“A stop arm violation is very serious,” Rick Krakow, the commander of the Naperville Police Department, said.
“The first offense, if convicted, is a mandatory three-month suspension of your driver’s license and a $300 fine.
“A second conviction is a mandatory one-year suspension and a $1,000 fine with community service possibilities.”
Naperville police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The U.S. Sun.
Laws on Passing a School Bus
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), it’s illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus when it is stopped, the red strobe lights are flashing, and the stop sign is deployed.
“All States require the traffic in both directions to stop on undivided highways when students are getting on or off a school bus,” the agency’s website reads.
Florida launched a program in May 2024 that will cite drivers illegally passing stopped school buses with the help of AI-powered cameras to capture footage of violators, citing an important law.
In Florida, Chapter 316 Title 19 reads:
- Any person using, operating, or driving a vehicle on or over the roads or highways of this state shall, upon approaching any school bus which displays a stop signal, bring such vehicle to a full stop while the bus is stopped, and the vehicle shall not pass the school bus until the signal has been withdrawn. A person who violates this section commits a moving violation, punishable as provided in chapter 318.
- Any person using, operating, or driving a vehicle that passes a school bus on the side that children enter and exit when the school bus displays a stop signal commits a moving violation, punishable as provided in Chapter 318, and is subject to a mandatory hearing under the provisions of s. 318.19
Source: NHSTA, Florida Legislature
