County Executive Announces New School Bus Safety Program
In a proactive effort to combat reckless driving behavior around school buses, Westchester County has partnered with BusPatrol to launch a new school bus stop-arm photo enforcement program to reduce the number of illegal passings of motorists and protect students.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said: “New York State law is clear—motorists must stop at least 20 feet away from a school bus when its red lights are flashing, and the stop-arm is deployed. This is a crucial measure to ensure the safety of our children. The technology, installation, and maintenance of these safety systems come at no cost to school districts or taxpayers, making it an essential and cost-effective way to protect our students.”
The program is focused on student safety equity. Every bus in participating district fleets will be equipped with bus stop-arm cameras which utilize artificial intelligence to detect cars that illegally pass stopped school buses.
The following local Westchester County School Districts are participating in the program:
· Mamaroneck Schools
· Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District
· Harrison Central School District
For the first 30 days, only warning violations with no monetary penalty will be mailed to vehicle owners whose cars are observed illegally passing a stopped school bus. The warning period began on October 15 and will run until November 18, when ticketing will begin.
Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins said: “Each year, thousands of children are put in danger due to reckless and illegal driving behavior around school buses, which can lead to tragic and fatal consequences. We must take this issue seriously to protect the safety of our children.”
Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators Vedat Gashi said: “As a father of two young kids, nothing is more important to me than the safety of school children in Westchester County. This initiative will go a long way toward ensuring the safety of our students. Thank you County Executive George Latimer and my colleagues at the Board of Legislators for prioritizing and addressing this important issue.”
New York State law states that the penalty for breaking the law as captured by the school bus stop-arm camera is assigned to the vehicle owner, and it comes with a minimum civil penalty of $250. Driver’s license points or insurance rates cannot be affected through the stop-arm camera civil enforcement. Every incident is reviewed by law enforcement before a violation notice is issued to the offender.
BusPatrol CEO Karoon Monfared said: “We’re proud to partner with Westchester County to tackle reckless motorist behavior around school buses. This partnership is a win-win for student safety and is proven to significantly reduce the rate of violations, with our longest-running program, Suffolk County, reporting a 40% reduction in violations since the start of the program.”