In Pennsylvania, more than 700 drivers each year are convicted of passing a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
A recent $40,000 donation for the Bangor Area School District’s school buses aims to increase that number.
The John and Margaret Post Foundation provided the donation to Upper Mount Bethel Township, which is part of the Bangor Area School District.
The township announced Tuesday it would be forwarding that money to the district to purchase and install the stop-arm cameras on all district buses.
The cameras will be mounted on stop-arms that extend when a bus is picking up a child. The cameras will be able to detect an illegally passing vehicle and take pictures of its front license plate, if it has one, the driver and the rear license plate.
Last October, a township resident captured video of a large truck speeding down Route 611 in the township past a stopped school bus that had its red lights flashing as children were boarding the bus.
Township, school district and bus company officials have been looking at ways of dealing with the danger of motorists passing stopped school buses.
One bus driver in the district reported seven incidents of illegal passing in a single day, according to township supervisors' Chairman John Bermingham.
“The cameras are a great way to protect our children,” Bermingham said. “We are not going to stand for it. Harsh penalties are going to come down if you jeopardize our children.”
Someone who violates the state’s school bus stopping law faces a $250 fine, five points on their driving record and a 60-day driver’s license suspension.
However, a school bus driver being able to record an incident or write down license plate information presents a practical difficulty. So, the incident would typically have to be witnessed directly by a police officer for there to be a violation issued.
With the cameras, images can be sent to police, who will certify a violation has been made and issue a ticket if warranted.
Last year, the Allentown School District participated in a state-sponsored Limited Stop Arm Camera Pilot Program, which logged 205 violations over 47 school days.
As a result of the program, the state passed a law that provides a structure for stop-arm camera companies to enter into contracts with school districts and local police to provide their services free-of-charge in exchange for part of the revenue generated by the fine, which was increased to $300.
The money collected is also shared with the participating local police department to defray costs of implementing the program and the state’s School Bus Safety Grant Program.
Pennsylvania’s School Bus Stopping Law
Motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop-arm extended.
Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping.
Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.
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John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
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October 26, 2020 at 07:00PM
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$40K donation will buy school bus stop-arm cameras to catch illegal passing - lehighvalleylive.com
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