School Bus Cameras Aimed at Catching Unsafe Athens Drivers

If you think you’re in too much of a hurry to stop for a school bus in Athens, think again. There’s a pretty good chance you’ll be caught on camera.

The Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Clarke County Schools and American Traffic Solutions have partnered to equip county school buses with stop-arm camera to capture unsafe driving.

Police said it began issuing citations at the end of March, and during the final months of the 2013-14 school year, 157 citations were issued for failing to stop for a school bus, “representing 157 different times our children could have been fatally injured,” the department said in a media release. Of those, 109 have paid fines; police are taking steps to “bring the remaining violators to justice.”

Athens-Clarke police reminds drivers that they must stop for a school bus times it is loading or unloading students.

Classes begin in Clarke County on Aug. 11.