Passing a Fairfax County, Virginia, school bus while students are getting on or off will now cost drivers $250.
The county and Fairfax County Public Schools installed cameras on 50 school buses earlier this year to catch drivers who illegally pass when bus drivers deploy the stop-arms — the flashing stop signs that signal children are loading or unloading.
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WATCH HEREAs of Monday, the 30-day warning period is over and drivers who don't stop will get tickets in the mail.
The county said the stop-arm cameras can automatically detect vehicles that pass within the enforcement zone. Cameras record video and take photos of the vehicle, its license plate and the extended stop-arm.
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SIGN UP Law enforcement then reviews the videos and images before the county sends any citations.
As one of the largest school districts in the country, Fairfax County has more than 1,600 school buses. County officials have said they might expand the program to get stop-arm cameras on more buses.
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Fairfax County school bus drivers are periodically asked to count how many stop-arm violations they see. A 2017 report on school bus safety found that bus drivers reported 1,453 illegal passes in a single day, the county said.
D.C. began a similar enforcement program last year, but the city fines drivers $500.
