Brevard Public Schools working to curb illegal school bus passing

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Brevard Public Schools is getting some extra help to keep students safe on their way to school.

The district is participating in a pilot program alongside safety technology company BusPatrol to help curb the illegal passing of stopped school buses.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

As part of the program, the district equipped 10 buses with stop-arm cameras to deter drivers from passing the stopped buses. Officials said the program will run for 45 days and then the information collected will be evaluated.

“We have experienced far too many drivers ignoring our stopped school buses while our children are trying to either get to or from school. This is grounds for serious concern, as lives are at stake,” said Dr. Michael Miller, director of transportation, in a statement.

READ: ‘There’s no excuse’: Brevard Public Schools sending parents to court over student absences

“We want to encourage drivers to understand the importance of stopping for school buses and this program will allow us to capture data about how often it is happening and whether we can decrease the occurrences.”

According to reports from the Florida Department of Education, in a single day more than 10,000 drivers in Florida unlawfully pass stopped school buses.

READ: Forbes releases billionaires list

Officials said results from the trial program will be used to campaign for legislation to authorize the use of automated stop-arm cameras throughout Florida.

The trial program will also provide data including where and when violations are most likely to occur. Officials said the school district will be able to use the results to make data-driven decisions and share this information with law enforcement to improve enforcement at “violation hot spots.”

READ: Proposed West Orange school bus depot faces community opposition

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2022 Cox Media Group