Keeping students safe to and from school – that’s the goal of a new initiative led by Onondaga County. Starting on the first day of school, Jamesville-DeWitt and five other local districts, will participate in a School Bus Safety Program. The goal is to protect students and curb the illegal act of passing a stopped school bus. Details were announced during a news conference held on Monday, Aug. 25.
Across the county, more than 500 buses will be equipped with state-of-the-art cameras to capture drivers who fail to stop when a bus stop-arm is extended, endangering students. Violators will receive citations in the mail from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office in the hope that they change their behavior moving forward.
Verra Mobility, a private company contracted by the county, will monitor the cameras at no charge. The company will keep 55% of the fines it collects, and the county will get the rest.
These programs are in place across the U.S. and have shown positive results. The county hopes to expand the program to other districts as well.