As the 2024-25 academic year begins at Baltimore County Public Schools, drivers should watch out for school buses that are newly installed with safety cameras.
BCPS launched a new program Monday, the first day of school, that equipped all school buses with interior and exterior automated cameras to discourage drivers from passing while blinking, red lights are on. The cameras from AngelTrax surveillance company will be working on a cloud system, said Superintendent Myriam Rogers.
“The overall goal of this program is to increase motorist awareness of students walking to and from school bus stops and the importance of not passing a school bus,” Rogers said at a news conference Monday.
When approaching a stopped school bus with activated flashing lights, Maryland law requires drivers traveling in both directions to stop at least 20 feet from the school bus. If a physical barrier, such as a median, is present, only traffic going the same direction as the bus must stop until lights are deactivated.
For the next 30 days, warnings will be given out to those who pass the bus stop signs, but after that, violating drivers will get a $250 citation 10 days after the incident. Citations will be mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle, but no driver’s license points will be issued.
“Thanks to the partnership between our police, public school system, and AngelTrax, this initiative will enable Baltimore County to cite reckless drivers and make our roadways and communities safer for all residents,” Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. said in a news release.
The cost of the program won’t be coming out of BCPS’ budget, Rogers said. The school system doesn’t have the definitive cost for the cameras, spokesperson Charles Hendon said.
During the first year, over half the revenue will be used to continue the program, and the rest will go to the county government, Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough said at the news conference.
The Baltimore County government will disburse the money to the school system and programs focused on pedestrian safety. BCPS plans to reinvest these funds into its $6.5 million safety assistance program for secondary schools, Rogers said.
“I think this is a response to an ongoing problem,” McCullough said Monday. “I think it is a much-needed program so we can protect our students.”
Each school year, motorists pass stopped school buses an estimated 43.5 million times within the United States, according to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services.
Baltimore County’s police department initiated a one-day study last year during which 387 cars passed by buses with their stop signs out.
The school district said there were 332 school bus accidents last year, up from 308 the year before. BCPS was not able to provide the number of children struck while getting on or off the bus. Almost 80,000 students use the nearly 1,000 buses outfitted with high-definition cameras, the district said.
The school system has not reported any busing challenges for the first day of school. Ahead of the 2024-25 year, BCPS hired 10 bus drivers and three bus attendants, as well as 825 teachers, 29 office professionals, 49 paraeducators, 32 assistant principals and 13 principals, according to another news release.
“As a school system, we are ready, refreshed, and eager to offer instruction and opportunities designed to build academic achievement and student success,” Rogers said in the release.
Baltimore Sun reporter Lilly Price contributed to this article.
Correction: This article has been updated to correct the number of cars that passed buses with their stop signs out from Baltimore County Police’s one-day study.
