BETHLEHEM, Pa. - There will be more eyes - of the artificial intelligence variety - monitoring drivers illegally passing school buses in the Lehigh Valley area.
- National School Bus Safety Week starts Oct. 17
- Three Lehigh Valley School Districts have partnered with BusPatrol to automatically fine drivers illegally passing school buses, joining four other area districts in the program
- Fines start at $300 for drivers who run the stop signs
Wilson Area School District (Easton), Salisbury Township School District, and Catasauqua Area School District will join 16 other school districts in Pennsylvania already in partnership with BusPatrol, a release from the company said.
That includes four local districts.
The Bethlehem Area, Allentown Area, Kutztown Area and Northwestern Lehigh school districts already use the technology — which uses exterior cameras mounted on the stop arm of school buses to try to identify motorists running those signs and threatening the safety of student riders.
In late September, weeks after the school year began, districts reported heavy violations of school bus and zone laws, which require drivers to stop when they meet or overtake a stopped school bus with flashing red signal lights and the stop arm extended.
In a span of 15 days, 283 violations were reported.
"Through these partnerships, we are working to make Pennsylvania safer for students while helping to make our roads safer," Jean Souliere, CEO and founder at BusPatrol, said in the release.
The announcement comes during the start of National School Bus Safety Week, an initiative to promote best practices for school bus safety across the country.
The cameras in Wilson, Salisbury and Catasauqua will go live at the end of the month following an educational campaign.
First-time violators who run the stop signs face a $300 fine, with a portion of that used to fund the technology, installation and maintenance for the program.