Oneida County School Bus Cameras Flag 852 Violations in 2023-24

(TNS) — Just over one year ago, Oneida County and its Sheriff's Office partnered with Verra Mobility's CrossingGuard school bus stop-arm enforcement program that provides state-of-the-art stop-arm safety technology to effectively capture stop-arm events.

When the stop arm is deployed, the camera automatically detects vehicles that pass the stopped bus within the enforcement zone. When an event occurs, the cameras record video of the vehicle and capture event images including the vehicle, its license plate, and the extended stop-arm. The violation video and license plate images are then reviewed by the Oneida County Sheriff's Office for approval prior to a citation being issued.

With the recent completion of the 2023-2024 school year, the Oneida County Sheriff's Office has issued a total of 852 citations for motorists passing stopped school buses within the eight school districts within this program. The school districts that are partnering with the Sheriff's Office and the number of violations within those districts include:

• Holland Patent — 54 citations issued for passing a stopped school bus.
• New Hartford — 178 citations issued.
• New York Mills — 97 citations issued.
• Rome City — 77 citations issued.
• Sauquoit Valley — 34 citations issued.
• Waterville — 33 citations issued.
• Westmoreland — 97 citations issued.
• Whitesboro — 282 citations issued.

Authorities are concerned with the number of school buses being passed in Oneida County as it puts the safety of the children at risk. The sheriff's office urges motorists to pay close attention when they are approaching school buses — "Stop on Red, Kids Ahead".

Up to 32,000 students in Oneida County are transported to and from school in county school buses every day. As part of the county's partnership with Verra Mobility, a total of 191 school buses in the eight participating districts are equipped with school bus stop-arm safety cameras.

The sheriff's office is currently working with Verra Mobility to get the remaining school districts in the county on line with cameras on their buses.

In 2019, the New York Legislature passed legislation to permit schools to equip their buses with camera technology to catch drivers who illegally drive by school buses when they stop to pick up or drop off students.

According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, the fine for passing a school bus ranges from $250 for a first violation to a maximum of $1,000 for three violations in three years. Additionally, if a vehicle owner is convicted of three violations in three years their driver's license can be revoked for a minimum of six months.

©2024 The Oneida Daily Dispatch, N.Y. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.