Schools in New York state can now install cameras on the stop arms of school buses to catch motorists whose driving puts students at risk.
NBC New York reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation that says drivers caught on camera passing a stopped bus will face $250 tickets, with higher fines for repeat violators.
The cameras would be mounted on the stop sign that extends outward whenever a bus is stopped and will automatically record each vehicle that passes it illegally.
"No parent should ever have to worry that their child's bus ride to and from school is anything other than safe and easy," says Cuomo.
Local officials from around the state had urged lawmakers to tweak the law to allow for the cameras.
It will be up to local school districts to decide whether to equip buses with cameras. Revenue from fines will be split between local school districts and municipalities.
State transportation officials estimate that motorists in New York illegally pass stopped school buses tens of thousands of times each day. During a one-day crackdown on the problem in May, police around the state issued 626 tickets to drivers illegally passing a school bus, in addition to more than 1,600 tickets for other moving violations.
School buses transport 2.3 million children in New York state each school day, according to the state.
