It’s back-to-school 2024, and student safety at bus crossings, bus stops, and school zones is a top priority. Accidents occur every year because drivers speed through school zones or fail to stop for school buses. With safety at the forefront, especially for school-age children, Motive’s AI Omnicam can provide 360° visibility around school buses. For school bus operators, that makes it easier to enhance student safety and hold reckless drivers accountable.
School bus stops and crossings are places where students are most vulnerable. Despite strict laws requiring drivers to stop for school buses with extended stop signs, violations occur every day. According to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, more than 95,000 school bus drivers reported more than 80,000 illegal passes in a single day. In a 180-day school year, this equates to more than 14 million violations — and a serious risk to our children.
Risks, statistics, and the value of cameras
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that from 2010 to 2019, there were 1,207 fatal school transportation-related crashes, resulting in 1,327 fatalities. The frequency of these incidents emphasizes the need for heightened awareness and enforcement. Just as importantly, it shows the value of having high-definition video that captures these events in real time, along with a picture of the perpetrator’s vehicle and the license plate.
In Aspen, Colorado, where bus drivers for the Aspen School District have to navigate two mountain passes and inclement weather, high-definition video has been a vital asset. The school district uses Motive’s dual-facing AI Dashcams to ensure driver safety every inch of the way, and to respond to local ‘he said, she said’ incidents with clear-cut proof.
To actually have video evidence of an incident really helps us reduce unsafe behavior and liability. We’ll always have a lot of risk on our roads, because we’re a tourist town. But our own local people drive much more safely around us now because they know we have cameras on board and they’ll get caught.
Mahaffey uses Motive cameras to determine which unsafe behaviors to focus on during driver coaching sessions, or to report unsafe driving by citizens to police. People in town used to run the school bus stop signs during student loading and unloading. Not anymore.
Now, Mahaffey has trained her drivers to say the license plate letters and numbers aloud, so the Motive AI Dashcams capture both the audio and video. Violators have been fined and some taken to court. Word has spread in the community about the fail-safes Aspen School District now has in place, and these types of incidents have decreased significantly.
“In those situations, the AI Dashcams have helped a lot,” Mahaffey says, “and our local law enforcement actually loves it because they know they can reach out to us and get video anytime something happens near one of our buses.”
Leveraging technology for safety
Despite the high number of violations around school buses, many offenders aren’t caught or penalized. The difficulty in proving these violations, the lack of motivation for bus drivers to report incidents due to past inaction, and challenges for law enforcement in issuing citations all contribute to offenders going unnoticed or unpunished.
The lack of enforcement highlights the importance of technology like Motive’s AI Omnicam, which can capture clear and actionable evidence of these violations, increasing accountability and student safety.
Motive’s AI Omnicam is designed to protect students by providing a 360-degree view of activity around every school bus, every second of the day. With Motive’s clear, high-resolution image quality at 1080p, the AI Omnicam is also great at capturing critical details, such as license plates.
The AI Omnicam’s side-view cameras offer clear, identifiable images of vehicles and drivers who fail to obey bus stop signs. Full visibility ensures that any violations are documented so law enforcement can take swift action.With the AI Omnicam, bus drivers can access critical evidence of any illegal passing incidents, which are crucial to enforcing laws and deterring future violations.
Tips for drivers during school season
Obey school bus stop signs
Drivers must always stop when a school bus has its stop sign extended. It’s not just a law, it’s the right thing to do to keep our kids safe.
Slow down in school zones
School zones are marked for a reason. Always reduce speed when driving through these areas, especially during school start and end times.
Stay alert and avoid distractions
Children can be unpredictable. Stay vigilant, avoid distractions, and be prepared to stop suddenly when driving near schools or bus stops.
Minimize the dangers of school bus crossings
The safety of our students is a shared responsibility. In leveraging advanced safety technology like Motive’s AI Omnicam, fleets can drastically reduce the risks associated with school bus crossings and stops. See the AI Omnicam in action and request a demo today.
