Cameras Installed on 5 Houston County School Buses
NewsCentral Staff
Story Created:
Feb 27, 2013 at 9:14 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Feb 27, 2013 at 10:46 PM EDT
In 2011, Georgia led the nation in student fatalities caused by people failing to stop for school buses. In late November, one of those deaths happened in Crisp County.
The Houston County Board of Education wants to go after drivers who run through stop signs at stopped buses.
Director of Transportation Frank Scott says they've put cameras on five of the school system's buses. Six cameras on the left side of the bus will activate whenever the door is opened.
An Arizona company called American Traffic Solutions (ATS) will monitor the video and report any violations to the Houston County Sheriff's Office.
Anyone caught running a sign you will get a citation in the mail. Fines will range from $300 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for repeat offenders over a five year period. Points will not add up against your driver license and the citations will not affect a violator's insurance.
Board Members hope to equip 20 of the 186 buses with cameras by the end of March. The camera systems come at no cost to the school system, ATS will receive a percentage of the money received from citations.
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