Remember red light cameras? Well here’s a new spin on cameras and traffic fines. The city of Dallas and Dallas County Schools have implemented a new program for the 2012 to 2013 school year. Schools buses are now equipped with automated stop arm cameras.
The cameras record & identify vehicles that pass a stopped school bus with its stop arm deployed. The stop arm is deployed when students are boarding or exiting a bus. The decision to implement this program grew out of a six bus test conducted by Dallas County Schools. What they found out was,
- At least one violation for every bus on every trip was recorded
- In some cases, the number of violations was as high as 10 in a single trip
A police officer will verify a violation has occurred. A first offense will result in issuing a $300 civil penalty ticket being mailed to the car owner. The revenue will fund the stop arm cameras, the enforcement program, school crossing guards and other student safety initiatives. For more information, check out www.dcschools.com/stoparm.
Let’s all stop and watch out for our kids. No one wants harm one child let alone live with that.
