Anne Arundel Officials Want Cameras On School Bus Stop Arms

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — The Anne Arundel County Council hopes lawmakers will push through legislation to have cameras installed on school buses to help catch drivers who blow through bus stops. They would like to see cameras installed on school bus stop arms to catch drivers. The proposed legislation is set for a public hearing in early February.

Patch previously shared the heartbreaking story of Allie Johnson, a sophomore at Severna Park High School. On Oct. 24, she was climbing off her school bus with other students, heading to their homes. Allie's school bus was stopped with its lights flashing and stop signs engaged on Truckhouse Road near its intersection with Westholme Lane at 2:33 p.m.

Allie was the first in a group of students to cross in front of the bus. As she stepped into the other lane, an oncoming car hit her. According to witness accounts, Allie was thrown up in the air and over the hood of the car, landing face down on the hard pavement of the road.

"Our daughter suffered several serious injuries and was lying in a pool of blood from her head and nose. We are incredibly grateful for the neighbors and first responders that rushed to help her and notify us. Our daughter was taken to Shock Trauma and has been recovering at home since," Stefanie Johnson told Patch. "She has sustained multiple serious injuries, she has been healing but still has a long road to go. We are currently trying to get her to be able to have the stamina to attend school for one class a day."

Police reports show that the 76-year-old driver who is accused of striking Allie was cited for failure to yield right of way.