AISD Starts Issuing Tickets To Motorists Driving Around School Buses

AUSTIN, TX -- Motorists driving past Austin ISD buses stopped to let children off began getting tickets on Monday, thanks to newly installed cameras.

The school district began issuing citations to drivers who disregard the flashing red lights and stop-arm extension bus drivers engage as they stop to let school children off.

The district recently hired American Traffic Solutions to install cameras on the sides of buses used to capture images of vehicles failing to stop while a school bus stop-arm is extended.

In the 30-day “grace period” leading up to the implementation of penalties, more than 265 warnings were given out to motorists failing to stop behind a school bus letting kids off.

District officials found the level of warnings to be an alarming barometer of how common it is for cars to pass parked school buses. The fear is that a child could be hurt or worse if those behaviors aren’t altered.

“My officers and I have been reviewing the video footage of drivers passing our buses and it’s very concerning,” AISD Police Chief Eric Mendez said in a prepared statement. “We need to change this behavior now.”

School bus stop-arm safety cameras now are mounted on the side of each school bus. When the stop-arm is deployed, the camera automatically detects a vehicle passing the bus in either direction and captures video of the violation and still images of a vehicle’s license plate, district officials said.

The penalty for a first stop-arm violation is $300.