BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — If you're caught driving past a school bus with its stop arm out in the City of Buffalo, it's going to cost you between $250 and $300.
This is because the city started enforcing its School Bus Stop Arm Camera Program about two months ago.
"The program has let us realize that we do have vehicles that pass school buses every day when a school bus is out on the road." said Octavio Villegas, Executive Director of the Buffalo Traffic Violation Agency.
Since the program began on October 1, there have been 16,550 "events" where a vehicle has been caught on camera passing a school bus as it activates its stop signals.
Nearly 10,000 of these events have been reviewed so far.
"Unfortunately, we're still seeing folks ignoring the yellow lights, and so when they are going by those school buses, it's not only going from yellow to red, but the stop arm is coming out," Villegas said.
If you are caught passing a school bus with the stop arm extended, AI technology notifies Bus Patrol, the company providing the cameras on each school bus.
That information is then sent to the City of Buffalo, which determines whether or not a ticket will be issued.
"We are confirming that a vehicle passed the school bus when it was in the process of picking up and dropping off a student," he said.
Despite the cameras, some drivers have shared concerns that they were caught when the bus's yellow lights were flashing, only to have it switch to red too quickly.
I asked Villegas about this concern.
"I just really focus on explaining to the motorists. When you see the school bus and those lights turn yellow, that's an indicator that you should start slowing down because that bus is trying to signal to you it will come to a stop."
If you receive a ticket and believe it was issued in error, Villegas said you can contest it when you get the letter in the mail.
"Also, on the bottom, we have a section to fill out if you want to contest your matter," he said.
But the bottom line is, that he hopes the program can help prevent people from driving past a stopped school bus.
"I feel we could just stop and wait an extra 30 seconds. It really would not take away from your day. It will help keep students safe coming up and off the bus," Villegas said.
