CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — A metro Atlanta school district is cracking down on drivers who ignore stopped school buses.
The Cherokee County School District says nearly all of its school buses are now equipped with stop arm cameras.
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There has been a grace period for the last couple of weeks as the cameras roll out. But starting Monday, drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses will be fined $1,000.
“This was something brought to us by bus drivers, so we felt we needed to correct the problem,” district police Chief Buster Cushing said on Channel 2 Action News This morning starting at 4:30 a.m.
Cherokee County Schools leaders say the problem has been hard to ignore with bus drivers reporting dozens of illegal passings every day. The district reported over 200 violations in one day alone last year.
That is why the district is turning to new camera technology. The cameras are mounted on bus stop arms and record vehicles that fail to stop when red lights are flashing.
“I think it’s a great idea because I see some cars that run right by, especially a road like this even though it’s four lanes, will go right around the bus,” driver Rod Austin said. “And you never know what a kid’s going to do when gets off the bus, whether goes the right way or the wrong way.”
The violations will be reviewed by the district police. If a violation is confirmed, a citation will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. Violators will face a $1,000 fine.
Cherokee County Schools leaders say the cameras have been installed at no cost to the district through a partnership with BusPatrol. Portions of the fines will go back into school safety upgrades.
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