Sacramento, California, Nov. 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In an effort to assess pupil transportation safety and to tackle the problem of motorists illegally passing stopped school buses, Sacramento City Unified School District has partnered with BusPatrol to launch a pilot program. The district has equipped five of its buses with AI-powered stop-arm cameras to help deter drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses.
“The safety and care we hold for our Sacramento City Unified students goes beyond the walls of our classrooms,” said Christina Pritchett, President, Sacramento City Unified School District Board of Education. “Our partnership with BusPatrol demonstrates our commitment to finding innovative ways to increase student safety at neighborhood bus stops throughout our community.”
Sacramento City Unified School District believes this pilot program will highlight the need for better enforcement of school bus safety laws in the state. Results from the trial program will be used to campaign for legislation to authorize the use of automated stop-arm cameras throughout California. The school district will also be able to access valuable data through the BusPatrol Student Safety Platform, including where and when violations are most likely to occur. This information can be shared with law enforcement to improve enforcement at violation hotspots.
“We know from speaking with parents, school bus drivers, and school transportation departments, that the illegal passing of school buses is a critical issue in California,” said Jean Souliere, CEO and Founder at BusPatrol. “The partnership with Sacramento City United School District will help us to campaign for better legislation and better technology to improve safety for student riders across California.”
According to results from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation (NASDPTS) stop-arm survey, drivers illegally passed stopped school buses more than 90,000 times in one single school day in 2019. This equates to 17 million violations a year in the United States. Every time a motorist ignores the school bus stopping law, the life and safety of a child is put at risk.
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