$419 Tickets For Illegally Passing School Buses: Heads Up!

SEATTLE, WA – Beginning Oct. 2, motorists who illegally pass King County school buses and are caught on newly installed cameras could be subject to $419 citations as part of Seattle Public Schools' new safety program.

The school district, in a partnership with King County and American Traffic Solutions, added 120 exterior cameras to 379 of the district's school buses, intended to capture video of vehicles that appear to illegally pass buses when the stop paddles are fully extended. The cameras went into operation Wednesday, and those caught on tape until Oct. 1 will receive warning letters, the district said.

Starting Monday, Oct. 2, the King County Sheriff’s Office will begin issuing $419 citations to vehicle owners who violate the state’s "stop paddle safety law." The department will review footage from the American Traffic Solutions cameras to confirm the traffic violation occurred, the school district said.

Read the text of the Washington law at: RW 46.61.370.

The district's transportation office is sharing educational brochures at community events, and the information is available online in Amharic, Chinese, Oromo, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.

The School Board approved the use of the exterior cameras during its July 5 meeting, and Seattle Public Schools launched the initiative to keep safe the 23,000 students who use school transportation. See more at: Student Safety Stop Arm Camera Program initiative.

"The safety of students is a top district priority," the district said. "To better understand what is happening locally, the district piloted the stop paddle safety program on 10 school buses traveling the busiest routes. Over that 112-day period, nearly 600 vehicles illegally passed the bus when the stop paddle was in use."

KEEP READING ... CHECK OUT THIS WEEK'S WOW HOUSES:

• Floating Houseboat Dream Come True: $1.2M In Seattle

• Spacious 1920s Charmer: $560K In Puyallup

• Sleek Contemporary: $2.6M On Mercer Island

• Fixer-Upper Find: $675K In Downtown Issaquah

--Pixabay image