FORTVILLE, Ind. -- The Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation is installing cameras to help catch drivers who go around extended stop arms on school buses.
Michael Maley has driven a school bus for over a decade, and he said he’s had several close calls over the years.
“I’ve had to hold back kids. I’ve had to blow my horn to get the kids’ attention, to get the drivers’ attention both. I’ve had close calls with students already outside my bus and inside,” said Maley.
And those close calls are the reason the district has decided to install cameras on all 38 of its school buses. The cameras cost $5,000 each, but that can’t compare to the lives they might save.
The cameras will turn on when the stop arm is extended, and they’ll snap a photo of the license plate of any driver who doesn’t stop.
Under state law, drivers are required to stop when the stop arm is extended, and the red lights are flashing on a school bus.
That law applies to all roads, except those that are divided by a physical barrier. If a bus is stopped on a divided road, only drivers traveling in the same direction as the bus are required to stop.
State Representative Milo Smith wants all districts to have access to the technology.
He said he’s giving school districts the option to dip into their transportation budget to pay for the cameras.
“It just adds another tool so that we can protect our kids and make for certain that they’re safe going back and forth to school,” said Smith.
The civil penalties for a violation caught on camera and reviewed by police would range from $300 to $1,000 based on any prior violations.
The money collected from those fines would be split between the schools, the company that contracted the cameras and the local police department.
