MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A safety initiative that Miami-Dade County representatives say will curb dangerous driving around school buses launched last month.
“The purpose of this campaign was to assure all drivers understand the seriousness of abiding by the law,” said Luis Diaz, chief operating officer of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
“Over 10,000 warning letters were sent out to violators,” said Miami-Dade police Officer Frederico Lopez.
On Wednesday, the “warning” part will change.
Violators caught on camera illegally passing a stopped school bus will be hit with a $200 fine and 30 days to pay before the violation turns into an actual traffic ticket.
Local 10 News’ Saira Anwer got to check out the cameras inside and outside of a bus to see how it all works.
“BusPatrol equips every Miami-Dade County school bus with AI technology,” said Steve Randazzo with BusPatrol. “We call her Ava.
When the school bus stop arm red light starts flashing, it’s able to automatically detect drivers who pass the school bus illegally.
Local 10 News learned about how it’s funded.
“Miami-Dade Police Department is proud to partner with Miami-Dade Public Schools and BusPatrol,” said Lopez.
BusPatrol is a national company that installed about $10 million worth of camera and AI technology in about 1000 school buses.
While money from the violations will go to the school district, the district can use those funds to reimburse BusPatrol for the cameras, a partnership that some legal experts say is worrying.
“There’s some grave concern with this outsourcing of law enforcement to private companies,” said attorney Ben Baxter.
But school and county leaders and BusPatrol say the effort will keep bus riders safe.
“This partnership is the largest student transportation safety initiative in Florida history,” said Randazzo.
Local 10 News reached out to Broward County Schools to see if there were any plans for similar programs in their district.
Here is their statement:
“There is a new law (Florida Statute 316.173) taking effect July 1, 2024, regarding School Bus Infraction Detection Systems. Our District is in the process of requesting proposals from vendors regarding these systems and intends to have them in place by the start of the new school year.”