Long Island launches campaign reminding drivers to stop for school bus stop signs
BROOKHAVEN, N.Y. -- Wednesday was the first day of school for many Long Island districts, and some parents expressed safety concerns as their children rode off on school buses.
Nationwide, school buses stopping to pick up or drop off students are illegally passed by drivers more than 17 million times a year.
That's why a new Long Island campaign, Stop4MyBus, is warning drivers, if you pass a school bus with its stop arm out, a mounted camera will record the infraction. Fines can reach $300.
"It's not a cash grab," said Dr. Roberta Gerold, superintendent of Middle Country Central School District. "When kids get off buses, they're excited. They're excited to run into school, they don't pay close attention. When they're coming home, they're excited to get back into their houses."
With road rage, speeding, drunk and drugged drivers, it's been an especially deadly summer on Long Island roads.
"You feel anxiety when you put them on that bus. And that's in no small part because we all know what it's like to drive here on Long Island. We know that everyone's in a rush. We know that people are distracted," said Louis Civello, a Suffolk Police officer and Middle Country parent.
The BusPatrol company hopes to create a culture of safety and awareness around schools.
Children are being taught the rules of the road through hands-on lessons and videos, roles they can play in their own safety.
BusPatrol says its cameras are extra eyes for law enforcement.
"We saw a 40 percent reduction in school bus stop arm violations. That is massive," BusPatrol spokesman Jason Elan said.
All of Suffolk County's 71 school districts have cameras rolling, but Nassau County is asking its towns to negotiate the contracts separately. The result: more than half of Nassau's school districts are not able to turn on their cameras. That rollout may not come until January.
Meanwhile, Suffolk issued more than 100,000 school bus camera tickets in its first full year.
"Most people who get a ticket, get a ticket once. They learn, and they change their behavior. And of course that's the goal," Deputy Suffolk County Executive John Kaiman said.
BusPatrol gets 45% of fees and penalty revenue. Suffolk County spends the remaining 55% on school and safety programs.