Watch Out: Arlington School Bus Stop Arm Camera Aims to Catch Violators

ARLINGTON, VA — If you routinely ignore those flashing stop sign arms on school buses, signaling that the bus is loading or unloading children and all traffic is to stop, you'd better watch out: starting Monday, Oct. 3, onboard cameras will be taking a picture of violators.

The Arlington Public Schools School Bus Stop Arm Camera Program was suspended for a period, but it will restart on Monday as the county joins other local school districts to improve student safety, according to a statement from Arlington Public Schools.

"The Stop Arm Camera Program began last year with the installation of camera systems on buses to improve student safety," the statement reads. "The program was initiated in an effort to address the dangerous and unsafe practice of drivers passing stopped school buses with the stop arm extended and red lights flashing while students were loading or unloading."

The program had been suspended last fall as the Virginia Attorney General determined that violations couldn't be mailed, but the issue was addressed by the legislature earlier this year, and the Virginia Supreme Court adopted a new fine schedule on Sept. 16. Now, if you pass a school bus with the stop arm deployed with the red lights flashing, you'll get a big, fat $250 fine.

Violation images, which include a picture of the car's license plate, are uploaded to a "violation processing system" and then reviewed.

"A final review of the violation image and video is conducted by the Arlington County Police Department where the violation will either be rejected or approved," according to a statement. "If the violation is approved, a citation is issued and mailed to the vehicle owner."

Image via Flickr user Greg Gjerdingen