Cameras capture thousands illegally passing school buses
Three of the top 10 locations for BusPatrol citations are in North Fort Myers.
The School District of Lee County installed bus safety cameras to capture photos of motorists who illegally bypass the outstretched school bus stop sign. Cameras capture images on both sides of the bus.
The technology, including installation and maintenance of the cameras, is provided at no cost to taxpayers or the school district.
The $225 fine for failing to stop with the school bus pays for the program.
“The data clearly shows a month-to-month increase. Through November and December we were still installing cameras. As students returned in January, the cameras were operational on all 600 buses,” district spokesperson Rob Spicker said.
He said the three North Fort Myers locations are the 800 block of Pondella Road at the fourth highest number, 900 block of Pondella Road for the seventh highest and the 1200 block of Pinecrest Road is the ninth highest.
“The highest number of citations have been issued in the 2500 block of Hanson Street in Fort Myers. State Road 82 at Buckingham is second and Colonial between Metro and Fowler is third,” Spicker said.
There were 2,752 illegal passes in the November warning period; 3,813 illegal passes reviewed in December; and 5,092 illegal passes reviewed through Jan. 28, he said.
There were 3,703 citations issued in December, with 110 not approved by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and 4,814 citations reviewed through mid January, with 278 not approved.
“The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for reviewing the video and determining if the law was violated,” Spicker said of the 8,517 total citations.
The school district has not yet received any revenue from the citations, which result in a civil fine.
“The law allowing for the cameras says that civil penalties must be used for the installation, operation or maintenance of school bus infraction detection systems on school buses, including student transportation safety initiatives, driver recruitment and retention stipends, or other student transportation safety enhancements,” he said.
Florida allows a $225 civil penalty for illegally passing a stopped school bus if detected through a school bus infraction detection system. A Notice of Violation is issued to the registered owner of the vehicle, which provides a link to the AlertBus Driver Education Portal, allowing the registered owner to view evidence of the violation, the district website states.
Spicker said enforcement is not about raising revenue.
“It is about changing behavior. We must protect students as they get on and off the bus from the danger of a driver who could not wait a couple of minutes and risked injuring a child to get by. We encourage everyone behind the wheel to simply stop when a bus is stopped so that no students get hurt,” he said.
“Data from BusPatrol programs shows that over 90% of first-time offenders do not illegally pass a school bus a second time after seeing the evidence,” according to the website Q & A.
For more information about the BusPatrol program, visit leeschools.net/parent_portal/school_safety/bus_patrol.
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