Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon (D-Utica/Rome) hosted a presentation by BusPatrol President David Poirier on Thursday at the Utica State Office Building. BusPatrol is a national safety tech company that partners with school districts and municipalities to install stop-arm cameras on school buses. Attendees included leaders from local schools and law enforcement

“Parents should never have to worry about their children getting to and from school safely,” said Buttenschon. “Yet, far too many drivers carelessly ignore the rules of the road and fail to brake for stopped school buses and students crossing the street. I fought for a new law that allows local school districts to put cameras on school buses to hold these drivers accountable.”

Earlier this year, Buttenschon helped pass a law authorizing local municipalities to implement a school bus photo violation monitoring system to help ensure students get to and from school safely (Ch. 145 of 2019). The new program permits municipalities to install cameras on school buses as well as stationary cameras and issue fines to drivers who illegally pass. Previously, drivers who illegally passed a stopped school bus displaying a red visual signal could only be issued a ticket by a police officer who witnessed the violation.

An estimated 50,000 drivers illegally pass school buses in New York every day.[1] These drivers need to know that there’s going to be a price to pay for acting in such a negligent manner and putting our children’s’ lives at risk, noted Buttenschon.

[1] safeny.ny.gov/opsafstp.htm