School Bus Safety Arm Camera Program
Common Questions and Recommended Responses:
Why does CITYneed School Bus Safety Arm Cameras?
Over 800,000 young people are transported in school buses every school day. Shockingly, studies have revealed that thousands of motorists disregard these signs every school day, illegally passing a stopped school bus and putting our children in serious danger.
Today, parents have enough reasons to worry about their children’s safety—sending them to school should not be one of them. In an effort to prevent devastating school bus arm violations that cause injuries and fatalities to children boarding and exiting school buses, County operates school bus arm safety cameras located on district school buses throughout the County.
What is considered illegally passing a school bus?
Motorists are required by law to stop for a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended and lights flashing. Unfortunately, motorists will disregard the law and pass the school bus, jeopardizing the safety of children boarding and leaving the bus or crossing the road.
How does the School Bus Safety Arm Camera System work?
The 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. Photographs and video footage are taken of any vehicles that pass the bus during its stop. 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.
What will this program cost the city and its taxpayers?
The school bus safety camera program is set up to be fully funded through fines paid by school bus arm violators. Taxpayers are not being asked to pay for this system. Our 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 our children boarding and leaving the school bus or crossing the road.
Are cameras an invasion of privacy?
No. Photos are taken only of vehicles breaking the law on public roads. Driving is not a private activity; it's public behavior with the potential of injuring others. As the IIHS puts it, "Neither the law nor common sense suggests drivers should not be observed on the road or have their violations documented."
School bus safety arm cameras are triggered by violations. Unlike general surveillance cameras, they are focused on narrow and legitimate government objectives—deterring traffic violations, thus reducing collisions.
If you don’t want a ticket, don’t illegally pass a school bus.
Does CITYPD or ATS review and issue tickets?
Only police officers issue citations. Processors with ATS perform several preparatory steps to save time for the County police. ATS processors conduct an initial review of the images and forward potential violations to police for further review and a decision on whether a violation occurred. ATS processors also crop photo images, and prepare the plate and owner registration data for police use. The County police review and approve each violation and is the sole authority for issuing citations.