Cameras will be installed on D.C. school buses in March to identify cars that pass while bus stop signs are extended.
Oftentimes, when a bus stop sign is extended, children are crossing the road, entering or exiting the bus. When cars fail to stop, safety is at risk.
Because most students ride to school on the Metro, “many [on the bus] are special needs … and those are highly vulnerable folks … so we want to make sure that people are very careful when those school bus stop arms are out,” the interim director for the District Department of Transportation Sharon Kershbaum said.
Parents in the District have expressed the need for this safety measure.
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“I mean, like, if we are talking about our kids, talking about a school, anything for them … we just have to do it,” parent Kia Ghamarian said.
Because the cameras will identify passing cars on the road, some D.C. residents are uncomfortable with the recording devices.
“I’m not sure whether I would like to get filmed on this camera, actually. So I don’t like it,” resident Sandra Harnoss said.
The fine that cars could receive for passing the stop sign camera has not been established.
