Upper Darby School District buses now equipped with license-plate-reading cameras
DREXEL HILL, Pa. (CBS) — School buses in the Upper Darby School District will now be equipped with cameras to detect drivers who illegally pass a bus with its stop sign out and red light engaged.
The school district said the new program is part of a partnership with BusPatrol, in line with PA Motor Vehicle Code § 3345.1, to keep students safe.
According to the school district, the cameras can capture violations and license plate numbers. Additionally, school buses will feature other safety features, including interior cameras, GPS tracking and emergency response solutions, the district said.
"The purpose of this new safety initiative is to curb dangerous driving behavior around school buses to protect our students," the school district said in a press release.
Drivers must stop at least 10 feet away from a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, according to Pennsylvania's School Bus Stopping Law.
The commonwealth's Operation Safe Stop reported 176 violations during its one-day targeted enforcement and education event last year, which was down nearly 40% from 2022.
"While we're certainly glad that violations decreased this year, one incident of passing a school bus is one too many," Kara Templeton, PennDOT's deputy secretary for driver and vehicle services, said in a statement in November 2023. "If we saw this many violations in just one day, it's clear that safety for our students traveling to and from school needs to be a continued focus for our communities and that motorists remain vigilant while sharing the road with school buses and students."
In late July, Upper Darby School District said it was working to hire more school bus drivers amid a shortage. At the time, the district said it had 80 school bus drivers on staff but needed to hire between 15 and 20 more. The school district told CBS News Philadelphia on Tuesday it needs eight more drivers to be considered fully staffed, but has more than the required staffing for the school year.
The first day of class for all grades in Upper Darby School District is Monday, Aug. 26.