Bus camera tickets double in the month of April

Austin ISD police have issued thousands of citations for school bus stop arm violations. Last month, the number was at a little more than 1,000 tickets. Now, that figure has more-than doubled!

AISD bus camera video shows pickup truck blowing past an bus stop arm. The April 1 incident was caught on camera showing the driver doing what thousands of others have done, but this one goes even further.
The driver actually hits the bus's stop sign. To add to that, the car behind that one, drives right through as well.

“I think it's distracted driving. I think individuals aren't paying attention to the buses while loading or unloading. People have other things on their mind,” Chief Eric Mendez, AISD Police Dept., said.

This case happened at the intersection of South 1st Street and Powell Circle near Dawson Elementary.
Authorities say they want to stop this behavior before a student is hit instead of a stop sign. That's why they've installed cameras on their 300 buses.

“As of today we've issued 2, 287 citations,” Mendez said.

Those drivers got the present in the mail, a whopping $300 fine. If an officer pulls you over and gives you the ticket, it goes up to $500. AISD is working with law enforcement across the Austin area to get the point across. They believe the fines are helping drivers learn this lesson.

“The Austin Police Department is also out there working the streets, watching and monitoring school buses as well as the sheriff's office and the constables,” Mendez said.

As the school year winds down, officers are hoping drivers do not become negligent, and remember the law. Children's lives depend on it.

“You may not see the child running out in the front of the bus so you may injure a child,” Mendez said.

APD and the sheriff's office are the ones stopping people for running past raised stop arms.AISD police are focused on the bus camera technology, and issuing tickets by mail.