MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Miami-Dade County Schools and law enforcement have teamed up with BusPatrol to reduce dangerous driving around stopped school buses.
Stop-arm cameras have been installed on every school bus, resulting in thousands of citations for drivers violating traffic laws.
During the summer break, Miami-Dade County Schools and local law enforcement announced their partnership with BusPatrol, a company that installed stop-arm cameras on all school buses to curb dangerous driving.
When drivers illegally pass a school bus with its stop arm deployed, they receive a citation in the mail, along with a fine of approximately $225.
Since the program launched in May, BusPatrol has reported nearly 84,000 citations in Miami-Dade County.
With the new school year starting in August, the numbers have continued to climb, with almost 53,000 tickets issued in just a few weeks. That’s about 6,000 violations per week, averaging one violation per bus per day.
Despite the high number of violations, Steve Randazzo, Chief Growth Officer for BusPatrol, remains optimistic.
“Things are still running smoothly. We have a tremendous partnership. We’re really working well together. Unfortunately, a lot of people continue to violate this law, but our partnership is stronger than ever. It’s still really early going,” he said.
Not everyone is fully supportive of the stop-arm enforcement, however.
The Winkler family, who plays pickleball near Nautilus Middle School in Miami Beach where the buses equipped with cameras pass by, shared their concerns with Local 10′s Saira Anwer.
“There is children’s safety out there. I don’t think money — I mean for some people — but overall, I don’t know if money is going to do the trick,” said Shevy Winkler, a Miami Beach resident.
As violations remain common, BusPatrol has planned a School Bus Safety Week presentation at certain schools to educate students about road safety.
“We’re actually going into a few classrooms this week to be able to teach kids a little bit more about the rules of the road, to make sure that they’re watching out, looking both ways when they’re crossing the street,” Randazzo said.