MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. – Update:
Starting February 1st, each Montgomery County Public School bus will have cameras on it to catch people who don’t stop when the bus is picking up and dropping off students.
“Some days in the past I’ve had three or four violators in one day,” said Ryan Rose, bus driver for Montgomery County Public Schools.
Through a partnership with BusPatrol, every bus will be equipped with cameras at all angles to record every stop. So if someone drives by when they are supposed to stop, they will receive a $250 fine in the mail.
Rose said he’s been driving for eight years and wishes this technology was here sooner. He said he had seen some close calls.
“I don’t understand the point of ‘I can’t see a big yellow school bus with red flashing lights,’” said Rose. “I actually had one child that her bookbag got hit by the mirror of a car. That was about five years ago, she was fine.”
Superintendent of the schools, Dr. Bernard Bragen, and Montgomery County Sheriff Hank Partin said they have been working on this for about a year and are glad it’s finally being installed.
“I don’t see a downside,” said Dr. Bragen. “It takes the burden off of our drives to reporting things and trying to follow up while also managing a bus with potentially 70 students in it.”
“Oh this is incredibly helpful,” said Partin. “The technology has enabled us to keep an eye on every school bus, at every stop, in our county.”
Bus driver Rose said he just hopes this makes riding the bus even safer for the children.
School.
Original Story:
Montgomery County Public Schools and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office are cracking down on drivers illegally passing school buses.
To ensure students make it to school safely, the school division and sheriff’s office are partnering with BusPatrol to install cameras and AI software on Montgomery County school buses. These cameras will start recording anytime the bus lights are flashing and the stop sign is extended. Drivers who illegally pass the bus will receive a summons from the sheriff’s office with a fine or an option to request a court date.
BusPatrol will process summonses and the Sheriff’s Office will verify them before they are mailed to violators to maintain accuracy.
“The safety of our students and staff is our top priority as a school district,” MCPS Superintendent Dr. Bernard F. Bragen, Jr. said. “We want to ensure that our students are safe on their way to and from school every day.”
Sheriff Hank Partin added, “We want every child to feel safe when they board or exit a bus. Passing a stopped school bus has been a law for years, unfortunately, many drivers fail to stop, putting kids at risk of serious injury or death.”
The new technology is set to launch in February and violations will begin being processed immediately.
Montgomery County already has cameras to catch speeders in school zones at Prices Fork Elementary and the Auburn Schools in Riners.
For more information, review the Virginia Code regarding passing a stopped school bus.
