Photo submitted to Times Observer BusPatrol cameras like this one will be installed on 80 buses in use in Warren County School District later this month.

When motorists violate the Pennsylvania school bus stopping law, they pose a threat to students.

The Warren County School District has embarked on a school bus safety program and will put cameras and a variety of associated technology on 80 buses.

“The Warren County School District has launched a safety initiative to reduce the rate that drivers illegally pass stopped school buses and make roads safer for students,” District Transportation Manager Mike Kiehl said. “The new safety program is in partnership with local and state law enforcement and BusPatrol, a leader in smart safety tech for school transportation.”

The key component of the project is equipping the district’s fleet with BusPatrol’s 360-degree Student Transportation Safety Platform, Kiehl said. “The platform includes AI-powered stop-arm cameras and sensors, 4G LTE connectivity, GPS, a silent alarm system, and more.”

The district is not using any tax dollars to pay for the system.

“The technology is provided at zero cost and is exclusively funded by violators,” Kiehl said.

Kiehl said his department regularly receives phone calls from bus drivers and concerned citizens about violations. “Those callers often lack the necessary information to help identify the violator,” he said. “The high-resolution camera systems from BusPatrol will capture the data and provide it to law enforcement to review and confirm that a violation has occurred.”

“The Warren County School District will be the first to install the BusPatrol Student Safety Platform in Western Pennsylvania,” he said. “The system is expected to be online in February of 2022.”

“The safety of our students is the number one priority,” Kiehl said. “We want to take a proactive approach when it comes to student safety and attempt to address the issue before we have a major incident.”

“Across the state of Pennsylvania, we are repeatedly hearing reports of drivers ignoring the stop-arm and blowing past the school bus,” BusPatrol CEO and Founder Jean Souliere said. “Dangerous driving around school buses can be fatal, and we owe it to our children to ensure that they get to school and back safely.”

“Pennsylvania state law requires motorists to stop at least 10 feet away from school buses with red lights flashing and stop-arm extended,” Kiehl said. “Drivers must stop for a school bus approaching in any direction to allow children to enter and exit the bus safely. A violation for a driver captured by the stop-arm camera will result in a $300 fine.”