Drivers in the 305 better make sure to stop when they see the red sign pop out because Miami Dade County is now home to one of the biggest school bus safety initiatives in the country.
Starting on May 8th a stop arm” camera could be issuing you a 200 dollar ticket if you illegally pass a schoolbus.
Recently the county finished a “warning period” where law enforcement sent over 10 thousand warning letters to Miami drivers caught using the new technology.
Now the warning period is over and 200 dollar fines are starting to hit Miami mailboxes.
The county school district outfitted their entire fleet of over one thousand buses with the help of BusPatrol, a technology company.
Each MDCPS bus received up to four cameras inside to monitor bullying, fights and other issues along with up to eight cameras outside to catch driving offenders, an artificial intelligence program called Ava that syncs with the bus, and a panic button for drivers to alert district officials of any emergency.
The 10 million dollars to outfit the fleet was covered by BusPatrol who will recoop the investment by receiving a portion of proceeds from the citations issued to offenders.
No one can argue that school bus safety is a great thing, but could allowing private companies to handle law enforcement be a slippery slope? Let us know what you think
