Expect to be caught on camera and fined if you pass a school bus loading or unloading kids

There will be more focus on keeping students safe as they get on and off school buses this fall.

Several Erie County school districts are installing sophisticated cameras on buses to capture images of drivers illegally passing while they load or unload children. Others already use them.

The cameras document safety violations. Drivers who pass buses stopped with their red lights flashing and stop sign and stop arm extended are cited and fined as much as $300.

And drivers do go past.

"It's not uncommon, unfortunately, for drivers to go past while children are getting on or off a bus," General McLane schools Superintendent Matt Lane said. "And every time it happens, it's obviously a dangerous situation."

"A day normally does not go by without at least one driver reporting that someone went past them," said Randy Pruchnicki, director of non-instructional support services for the Erie School District. "The cameras help us document and hopefully discourage that to keep kids safe."

How the cameras work

Erie School District installed cameras on its school buses in early 2022. Two exterior cameras, one facing forward and one facing back, are located just below the driver's-side stop sign on each of the district's 28 buses.

"When the driver activates the stop mechanisms, the cameras begin recording," Pruchnicki said. "When a vehicle goes past, the driver makes what we call a panic mark on the video" to pinpoint the incident.

Cameras typically capture video and still images showing the vehicle's make, model and license number along with location and time stamp.

The images are remarkably clear, said Beverly Clark, transportation supervisor for the Fort LeBoeuf School District, which also uses a bus camera system. "We can sometimes even see the driver," she said.

Incidents are reported to local or state police, who review the evidence. If police verify violations of the state's school bus safety laws, drivers are cited and fined.

The standard fine is $250.

More districts with cameras aboard

Locally, Fort LeBoeuf School District pioneered the use of exterior cameras on buses in 2012. A private company, 24/7 Security, installed the cameras and oversees the system.

Cameras were first installed on buses loading and unloading students on busy roads, including Route 97, where a 13-year-old girl was killed and a 17-year-old boy was injured when they were struck by a car in December 2011. The students were crossing the road to get to their school bus just before the bus activated its red lights and stop sign, according to court proceedings in the case.

The school district redrew its transportation routes so that students can board buses without crossing a road. Other safety improvements included installing LED flashers and cameras on buses, schools Superintendent Rick Emerick said.

Each of the district's 22 buses now is fitted with cameras. Some record vehicles illegally passing buses daily.

"It generally happens four or five times a day, especially on Route 19," Clark said.

Corry and North East also are among school districts using cameras to document safety violations. In the Wattsburg Area School District, buses driving the busiest routes are equipped with cameras mounted on their stop arms. Cameras in time will be installed on each district bus, schools Superintendent Ken Berlin said.

In districts without bus cameras, drivers document safety violations.

"Our drivers, when they can do so safely, take down the plate numbers and description of the car and driver to send to the state police for investigation," said Dana Alvez, general manager of Durham School Services, which provides transportation for Fairview School District students.

Coming this fall, Millcreek and General McLane cameras

The Millcreek Township and General McLane school districts will begin using exterior bus cameras this school year. BusPatrol, a Virginia-based technology company, is providing and installing the cameras and will oversee the systems in both districts.

In Millcreek, each of the district's 70-plus buses is being fitted with 13 cameras, including exterior AI cameras, assistant schools Superintendent Trevor Murnock said. The cameras will be fully operational when classes resume Aug. 28.

A 16-year-old McDowell High School student died after she was hit by a car while crossing Zuck Road in December. The driver involved did not violate school bus or traffic safety laws, according to the police investigation.

Cameras will be installed on General McLane's 33 buses soon, Lane said. The system is expected to be operational soon after classes start.

BusPatrol will analyze evidence of potential violations in both school districts and forward documentation to local or state police for verification. The company will mail a civil citation to the vehicle owner along with a link to the evidence when police confirm a violation. The penalty for violations will be $300.

Police will get $25 per fine to cover their costs. Another $25 will go to a state school bus safety grant program.

The bulk of fine money will go to BusPatrol. School districts pay nothing for the BusPatrol system and service.

Coming this fall: Cameras will catch drivers illegally passing Millcreek school buses

Do cameras discourage illegal passing?

Yes, according to school and public safety officials.

Once word gets out that buses are equipped with cameras, fewer drivers pass as children board and exit, Warren County School District transportation Supervisor Michael Kiehl said this spring. The district began using BusPatrol cameras last school year.

"Our drivers have shared that people have really responded and that drivers are stopping and being more vigilant around buses," Kiehl said.

Police departments already partnering with local school districts also have said that cameras tend to reduce the number of vehicles illegally passing buses. Millcreek Police Cpl. Matt Shollenberger researched the issue earlier this year when the Millcreek Township School District was considering installing the camera system.

"I've talked with departments that use (BusPatrol) on the east side of the state, including Bucks County, and they've seen a reduction of violations in most areas," Shollenberger said. "The one issue they've had is on roads used by people who are not from the area and are not aware of the program."

The rules of the road: What the law says

• In Pennsylvania, drivers must stop at least 10 feet from school buses that have their red lights flashing and stop sign or stop arm extended.

• That goes for drivers behind a bus, heading toward a bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.

• Drivers must remain stopped until the bus lights stop flashing, the stop sign or stop arm is withdrawn and all children have reached safety.

• On roads with medians, guide rails or other physical barriers separating opposing traffic lanes, drivers do not need to stop for a bus stopped in the oncoming lanes.

• The penalty for violating the state's School Bus Stopping Law is a $250 fine. Penalties may additionally include five points on the driver's record and a 60-day license suspension.

Drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus are risking precious lives to save precious little time, said Randy Pruchnicki, of the Erie School District.

"At none of our stops is a bus stopped for longer, probably, than 30 seconds or a minute," he said.

First day of classes: Here's when Erie County students go back to school

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Eyes on the road: Cameras film drivers who illegally pass a school bus