BUFFALO, N.Y. — As we head into the start of a new month the City of Buffalo has officially begun their new school bus armed-camera initiative in an effort to reduce the amount of people who pass a school bus while it is stopped to let off students.
Starting on July 1st drivers who pass a school bus while it is stopped during a route will be caught on camera and issued a warning ticket. Warning tickets will only be issued during the grace period which is from now until September 30.
“Driving passed a stopped school bus is not okay. It’s extremely dangerous. Our children are on these school buses on a daily basis, and we need to take every precaution to ensure students get to and from school safely,” said Mayor Brown. “This new initiative will help keep students safe as they get on and off school buses in the city of Buffalo, and we are giving our community plenty of advance warning to prepare for the new technology. I appreciate everyone’s support on this, especially the motoring public.”
According to the City in a press release "During the trial period, BusPatrol will collect information gathered by the cameras and provide it to the city of Buffalo Police Department. Every incident will be reviewed by BPD, before a warning notice (or violation ticket) is issued."
- Again, the public awareness period runs from July 1 through September 30th. During this period, only warnings will be issued to violators. Enforcement begins October 1, 2024.
- After the awareness period, tickets will be issued, and it could cost drivers who are caught illegally passing a school bus up to $250.
The state’s Traffic Safety Committee said that "roughly 50,000 vehicles illegally pass school buses every day in NYS. The cameras will snap an image of anyone who illegally passes a stopped school bus. The technology, installation, and maintenance are provided at no cost to the school district or taxpayers. Additionally, the school district will benefit from additional safety features, such as internal cameras to monitor dangerous activity onboard the bus."
To learn more click here.
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