School Bus Cameras A New Option For Putnam Districts

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — County officials have made an agreement with a school-bus camera company that will enable all six school districts in Putnam to deploy them at no cost to taxpayers.

The new agreement includes automated cameras mounted on the stop-arms of school buses that can record the license plates of vehicles that illegally pass when a bus is stopped with its red lights flashing and stop sign deployed.

The agreement is for five years. The program will be entirely and exclusively funded by violators.

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne announced the new partnership with BusPatrol America last week.

"The safety of our kids is always going to be a priority. The opportunity to implement a program at no cost to taxpayers that protects students made this an obvious partnership to develop," Byrne said. "We are taking proactive steps to protect our children and hold irresponsible drivers accountable for their actions."

Drivers caught by those cameras illegally passing a school bus will 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.

Implementation will be preceded by an awareness campaign to remind motorists about the school bus safety traffic laws.

"Our children deserve a safe journey to and from school and this program will help make that a reality," said Mary Smith, Patterson Councilwoman and Traffic Safety Advisory Board member. "This program reinforces our commitment to protecting students and by leveraging innovative technology, we are sending a strong message that the safety is our priority."

It's not a small problem.

In New York, there are an estimated 50,000 illegal school bus passings each school day, according to the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.

The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates that 43.5 million vehicles illegally pass stopped school buses annually in the United States.

"The problem of illegally passing stopped school buses continues to increase," said NASDPTS President Mike Simmons after the organization's annual survey was published for 2023.

The National Highway Transportation Administration says that the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road — Less than 1 percent of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transportation vehicles. Children are more at risk when approaching or leaving a school bus.

That's what the NASDPTS calls the "danger zone." Officials said studies have shown that, unless the public actually sees or hears about the law against passing a stopped school bus being enforced, programs to educate people about the danger of doing so have little impact.

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

In Rockland County, the program was to start with a 30-day period during which warning letters were issued to drivers who fail to stop for school buses with no monetary penalty.

According to county officials, school districts could also choose additional features such as internal cameras to monitor dangerous activity onboard the bus.