Williamsburg-James City County Public Schools will move forward with equipping its school buses with video cameras that capture stop-arm runners following the city council’s approval of a new ordinance, reported the Williamsburg Yorktown Daily.
John Lambusta, the school district’s director of transportation, said over 1,000 school bus stop-arm violations occurred last school year. So far, there have been 400 illegal passing incidents during the current school year.
The district proposed the ordinance last spring.
Video of motorists who illegally pass the school bus with its stop-arm extended and red lights flashing on city streets, will be forwarded to the appropriate police department to validate a violation or decline to press charges.
If police determine a motorist broke the law, the video will be sent back to the vendor that the district selects to install the cameras and manage the data, at which time a citation will be sent.
A violation will include a $250 fine, or the motorist can fight the citation in court.
