50,000 Drivers Pass School Buses Illegally in New York State, Endangering Thousands of School Children

An estimated 50,000 drivers pass school buses illegally every day in New York state, according to a study conducted by the New York State Association of School Pupil Transportation. 2,047 vehicles passed stopped buses on the right side, where school children exit. Furthermore, during one week in 2018, five children were killed and seven injured by drivers after leaving the school bus, in separate incidents.

Safety advocates support a bill currently in the New York state senate that would allow school districts to install automated enforcement cameras on school buses to monitor illegal passing incidents. The camera system is installed on the front and rear driver’s side of the bus. It monitors traffic while the stop arm and warning lights are displayed, leaving the bus driver free to focus on students. Evidence of potential violations, including video and photos, is submitted to local law enforcement to determine whether a citation is warranted.

Governor Andrew Cuomo supports the measure and even included it in his initial budget proposal.

Redflex’s stop-arm solution, Student Guardian, utilizes the company’s cutting-edge technology to automatically detect incidents. It can capture images and video across multiple lanes and in low light or adverse weather conditions.