Officer may not catch you passing a stopped school bus, but new cameras will

Drivers who pass stopped school buses this fall won’t get away so easy. Cameras will be installed near the stop arm of all 208 Bibb County buses by the start of the 2017-18 school year, and violators caught on tape will face $300 fines.

The Board of Education approved a contract with Force Multiplier Solutions in February, and the County Commission adopted an ordinance authorizing the use of the video-monitoring system at its meeting Tuesday night.

The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office issued only three citations last year to drivers who illegally passed stopped school buses, Major Eric Walker said. But, far more motorists actually are breaking the law.

Officers monitor areas where there are complaints, but they can’t be at all the bus stops, said Anthony Jackson, the school district’s transportation director. A survey over three years showed an average 116 violations every day in Bibb County, adding up to more than 20,000 during a single school year.

“So often, we have a situation where vehicles are passing our school buses while we’re unloading and loading. That is by far the most dangerous time of the school bus ride,” Jackson said. “Some (violators) simply don’t know (the law). Some are in a hurry and their agenda is more important. Sometimes, it’s just a case of being inattentive.”

Force Multiplier Solutions will pay $10,000 to install the equipment, and there is no cost to the local agencies involved, he said.

The cameras record events as they happen, and the company reviews the footage daily. Video of potential infractions are sent to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office, which confirms or dismisses the violations.

The company sends letters to drivers at fault, who can contest the citations at the Bibb County State Solicitor’s Office or pay the fines online, said Solicitor-General Rebecca Grist. Seventy percent of the money collected goes back to Force Multiple Solutions, and the rest is split between the Bibb County school district, solicitor’s office and sheriff’s office.

Force Multiplier Solutions will raise awareness of Georgia’s laws concerning stopping for school buses. If a road is separated by a physical barrier like a median, only vehicles on the same side of the road as the school bus must stop when the bus’ stop bar and flashing lights are engaged, Walker said. Otherwise, traffic in both directions has to stop.

“Through that public service campaign that we’ll embark on, we’ll be able to bring some clarity to that,” Jackson said. “It’s simple if you know it, but if you don’t, it can be confusing.”

The stop arm cameras won’t eliminate the problem, but the increased citations should help reduce it significantly, he said.

“Hopefully, it will cut down some of the violations and make bus routes safer,” Walker said. “We do want the kids to be safe, and we do want people to observe the laws.”

This story was originally published March 21, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Officer may not catch you passing a stopped school bus, but new cameras will."