KENNEWICK, Wash.—Many drivers never stop when they see a school bus pull over and put out the stop sign. Now some schools in the state are installing cameras to catch the drivers.
Last year a bill was signed into law that allows state school districts to install safety cameras on school bus stop signs in hopes of catching drivers who pass illegally. The safety camera system is activated by the extension of the stop arm of a school bus.
The Richland School District is looking into using the system. They plan to look at their budget and possibly have the cameras installed by next school year. Both the Kennewick and Pasco School Districts will not be getting the cameras. The Kennewick School District says it doesn't fit in their budget, but they do have an alternative.
"When a bus driver sees a car go by and doesn't stop, we do have paperwork that we fill out. We try to catch the license plate of the vehicle and turn that into the police, and we do actually quite a few of those," says Lorraine Cooper, Kennewick School District.
All three school districts have cameras inside of their buses that capture video of both the driver and the students.
Violators face a $349 fine.
