Hundreds Of Drivers Illegally Pass Stopped PG County School Buses

BOWIE, MD — Cameras have recorded hundreds of drivers illegally passing stopped Prince George's County school buses with extended stop signal arms, and flashing amber and red lights on the front and rear in the past two school years, say police and experts as a new school year kicks off.

High-resolution photographs, images and video clips of these school bus passing violations were recorded by stop-arm cameras mounted on a growing number of school buses in Prince George's County. The 2018-2019 school year began today, Sept. 4, for about 900,000 students statewide in Maryland. The state, along with Virginia and at least 13 other states, has enacted school bus stop-arm camera laws, reports the National Conference of States Legislatures. More than 400 children nationwide have been killed by drivers passing a stopped school bus over the past four decades, said AAA Mid-Atlantic in a news release.

Current fines in Maryland are $250 per infraction, up from $125, as of July 1, 2017. Stop-arm camera systems have been installed on 20 school buses in Prince George's County, where 132,000 students are returning to school. During the past three school years nearly 800 drivers were ticketed after being caught on camera while illegally passing school buses with their stop arms extended and their lights flashing. That includes 92 citations during the 2015-2016 school year, 232 citations in the 2016-2017 school session, and 475 citations in the 2017-2018 academic year.

In Prince George's County, "stop arm cameras are rotated throughout the different bus routes," notes the Prince George's County Police Department.

Nearly 51,000 drivers were ticketed and fined, some repeatedly, for illegally passing school buses in neighboring Montgomery County during the past two school years, says the study. Out of that total, nearly 2,000 drivers were ticketed repeatedly for this behavior as school buses were loading and off-loading students, according to AAA.

Despite repeated warnings and $250 fines, on average, 950 drivers were nabbed on camera each school week for approaching a stopped school bus on county roads and at bus stops, said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic's Manager of Public and Government Affairs. "These drivers are brazenly endangering the lives of school children as they are exiting or entering their buses. It involves an inexcusable violation of state laws requiring drivers to stop at least 20 feet from the front or rear of a stopped school bus," he said in a statement.

During its 2017 Legislative Session, the Maryland General Assembly upped the cost of school bus stop arm camera tickets from $125 to $250. With Gov. Larry Hogan's signature, the tougher penalty and fine went into effect July 1, 2017. Drivers are ignoring the law, which states you must stop before approaching or overtaking a stopped school bus on a two-lane roadway. If a police officer catches you doing it, you will slapped with a "$570 three point citation."

Maryland, Virginia, and at least 13 other states have enacted school bus stop-arm camera laws, reports the National Conference of States Legislatures.

Image via Shutterstock / Henryk Sadura