Rockland Offers Local Schools Free Bus Stop-Arm Cameras

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Rockland County officials are launching a new school bus safety program to mount cameras on the stop-arms of school buses for participating districts and private schools.

The program is a new partnership with BusPatrol, a company specializing in school bus safety technology.

Every day in New York State, an estimated 50,000 drivers illegally pass stopped school buses, putting the lives and safety of children at risk, said County Executive Ed Day.

Yet, in its monthly newsletter, "Road to Safety," BusPatrol said as of January 2023 in the state of New York, only 13 percent of school buses were equipped with safety technology.

If a Rockland school district opts into the new program, its school buses will be equipped with cameras on the bus stop-arms at no cost to districts.

Drivers caught by those cameras illegally passing activated stop-arms on school buses will then be issued penalties by mail. School-bus-camera tickets are based on an evidence package that contains video and GPS telemetry. BusPatrol even offers drivers a way to review their offense online.

"In the run-up to the program launch, we will be working with the County on a community education and awareness campaign, which will include road signage, community announcements, and warning letters," BusPatrol spokeswoman Kate Spree told Patch. "The program will be preceded by a 30-day warning period, during which warning letters will be issued to drivers who fail to stop for school buses with no monetary penalty."

According to BusPatrol, the technology reduces the rate of illegal passings by up to 30 percent year over year. Here is a BusPatrol Fact Sheet.

Day has scheduled an Information Session on the program on March 1 at the Rockland County Fire Training Center.

School leaders from both public and private schools are expected to attend the event, which will provide in-depth details with a presentation from BusPatrol and a live look at the camera equipment that will be equipped on bus stop arms.