Miami-Dade school district initiates safety week to cut down on bus violators
On too many occasions the new school bus cameras have captured the moment students come dangerously close to being hit by a car.
"In Miami Dade County the numbers are nothing short of stunning," said Steve Randazzo with BusPatrol, which runs the stop-arm enforcement program.
More than 80,000 tickets have been issued since they rolled out the program in May of cameras installed on all 1,000 Miami-Dade County school buses. They are designed to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses.
The buses are meant to keep kids safe, but the folks at Buspatrol, who installed the cameras, say many drivers in Miami-Dade are not following the rules.
"l've seen this around the country where it's pretty bad. But Miami unfortunately really takes the cake. We're seeing upwards up to 6,000 violations per week in Miami Dade county," Randazzo said.
Because of the alarming numbers of citations, this week Buspatrol, Miami Dade County Public Schools and law enforcement are dedicating this week to school bus safety, stressing its importance.
"We want to create that condition in the drivers' minds that everywhere in the county if you pass a school bus illegally, you can become accountable for that. That's how you change the drivers mindset," Randazzo said.
Miami-Dade police reminds all drivers if there is a school bus stopped in a two-lane road, you must stop unless there is a raised median and you're driving on the other side of the road.
Police are sending out a stern warning. If you break the rules the cameras will catch you and you will be fined $225.
"Nothing is more important than protecting our precious cargo," Randazzo said. "Our kids when a school bus is stopped, it might be inconvenient. You may have to wait a minute, but no meeting is worth potentially a child losing his or her life."
On Thursday, Buspatrol will visit several schools to raise awareness about school bus safety and it's not only for drivers but they also want to send a message to students to pay attention. Once you get on and off the bus, most importantly get off your phone and watch your surroundings.