Motorists who pass stopped school buses in Westchester County are increasingly likely to be caught and slapped with a fine as a school bus stop sign camera program gets into high gear. Westchester County Executive George Latimer on Oct. 22 announced that the county has partnered with the commercial company BusPatrol to equip school buses used by school districts in the county with cameras that will photograph vehicles that illegally pass stopped buses. The images along with artificial intelligence supported software are used to track down the drivers and issue tickets and fines.
The following Westchester County school districts are participating in the program:
- Lakeland Central School District
- Mamaroneck Schools
- Ossining Union Free School District
- Eastchester Union Free School District
- Tarrytown Union Free School District
- Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District
- Katonah-Lewisboro School District
- Greenburgh Central School District
- Hendrick Hudson Central School District
- Croton Harmon Schools
- Harrison Central School District
Latimer said, “New York State law is clear — motorists must stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus when its red lights are flashing and the stop-arm is deployed. This is a crucial measure to ensure the safety of our children. The technology, installation, and maintenance of these safety systems come at no cost to school districts or taxpayers, making it an essential and cost-effective way to protect our students.”
Until mid-November, only warning violations with no monetary penalty will be mailed to vehicle owners whose cars are captured illegally passing a stopped school bus. The warning period will run until Nov. 18, when ticketing will begin.
Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins said, “Each year, thousands of children are put in danger due to reckless and illegal driving behavior around school buses, which can lead to tragic and fatal consequences. We must take this issue seriously to protect the safety of our children.”
According to BusPatrol CEO Karoon Monfared, “We’re proud to partner with Westchester County to tackle reckless motorist behavior around school buses. This partnership is a win-win for student safety and is proven to significantly reduce the rate of violations, with our longest-running program, Suffolk County, reporting a 40% reduction in violations since the start of the program.”
BusPatrol’s business model entails equipping a school district’s buses with camera equipment at no cost and then taking a percentage of the receipts from fines collected from drivers.
