Stop-arm violations or illegal passing of school buses has become a hot issue in the industry, as several legislatures in both state and federal government have been pushing for mandatory use of externally positioned cameras which could document offenders when they put children at risk. Many school districts have already begun using the cameras to protect their students.
The big question everyone wants to know is if the efforts to raise awareness and increase enforcement of the driving laws is working. If Marietta City Schools from Georgia is any indication, things are already starting to change.
The district recently participated in the nationwide stop-arm violation count, which is organized annually by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.
When the district participated in 2012, Marietta City Schools reported 192 illegal passing incidents in just a one-day count. Last year, they reported 156. This year, the total has dropped to 112, a 42% decrease in just two years.
Many of the district officials suggest that the data indicates motorists are becoming more aware of the requirement to stop for stopped buses and the penalties that can follow if they don’t.
This is a great step forward in seeing a remarkable downward shift in cars passing stopped school buses,” the district’s director of transportation Mark Lindstrom told School Bus Fleet. “I need to thank the bus drivers for making the stops correctly and the many drivers in Marietta who are taking the right and safe path, which is stopping for a school bus.”
While awareness efforts may be partially to thank for the decrease in violations, it seems most likely that the recent addition of stop-arm cameras has also played a large role. In October of last year, Marietta City Schools installed 12 of the systems on its buses – just over 20% of it’s regular-education fleet.
Since the installation of the cameras, Marietta Police Department have issued 830 stop-arm violation citations. The fines increase from $300 for a first time offense to $500 for a second, and $750 for a third. Each citation also incurs six points on the driver’s license.
The safety of students should be enough to keep most people from risking young children’s lives by illegally passing buses, but unfortunately there are those who will only be deterred by fines and other forms of punishment. It is encouraging to see that increased enforcement and more effective technology can decrease the number of driver’s willing to break the law out of impatience.
