Authorities in Falls Church, Va., are cracking down on those who illegally pass stopped school buses.
The city will begin using new stop-arm cameras Monday to monitor drivers who pass stopped buses on some Falls Church roads. The activation of the new cameras coincides with National School Bus Safety Week.
Falls Church City Public Schools, the Falls Church Police Department and American Traffic Solutions partnered in this project to address a growing problem.
City officials say the brazen act is committed an average of 20 times each school day.
"Most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related crashes are pedestrians, four to seven years old, who are hit by the bus or by motorists illegally passing a stopped school bus," the National Safety Council said in a press release.
Passing stopped school buses is a $250 fine in Virginia.
In Maryland, Montgomery County is set to implement a school bus camera program in January. Prince George's County has also awarded a contract to a vendor for its own school bus camera program.
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According to a press release, other jurisdictions in Virginia are also waiting to begin similar programs.
