Local
Broward’s bus-camera program has processed more than 20,000 violation notices
Broward County Public Schools says its bus cameras have helped process more than 20,000 notices for drivers who failed to stop for buses since citations began in September. Each citation carries a $225 penalty, and police review footage before a notice is issued.
Broward County Public Schools has processed more than 20,000 notices for drivers accused of passing stopped school buses since the district began issuing camera-based citations in September, district officials said during National School Bus Safety Week.
The district installed cameras on its school buses at the start of the school year. After a one-month warning period, $225 citations began going out on Sept. 9 to drivers recorded failing to stop when a bus’s stop arm was extended.
The system records video from multiple angles, and a police officer reviews footage before a citation is issued. Officer Michael Rosario of the Broward County Schools Police unit said he reviews hundreds of recordings daily, including cases in which drivers speed past stopped buses.
“People are trying to beat the bus, and you shouldn’t want to do that,” Rosario said, urging drivers to slow down.
Michael Gregory, the district’s chief of safety and security, said the system sees an average of 2,000 to 4,000 suspected violations a week. More than 20,000 notices have been processed since the program began issuing them, he said.
Superintendent Howard Hepburn said drivers must stop when a bus’s lights are flashing and its stop arm is extended. The district’s safety-week effort also aims to teach students how to stay safe on and around buses, while directing attention to the behavior of adults behind the wheel.
BusPatrol, the company operating the camera system, said high violation counts are common when such programs first launch, as drivers adjust to enforcement. The company expects Broward’s numbers to decline, pointing to a similar drop after Miami-Dade County introduced its program last year.