COLUMBIA STATION, Ohio — School districts across Northeast Ohio are equipping their buses with new technology to catch drivers who won't stop for buses.
Columbia Local Schools installed stop arm extensions and cameras to its bus fleet of 13 a few months ago. It's already making a difference.
"This stop arm has been a godsend for us," bus driver Claire Karl said. "I have seen such a dramatic change in the people driving. They are actually paying attention."
If drivers still try to pass, the two cameras located below the driver's window can pick up the front and back of the vehicle. The camera is so powerful that it can even pick up the driver's face.
Cameras roll whenever the bus is on. Bus drivers press a button to mark the tape of the passing. The video goes back to the district's transportation office and then to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
"It's basically enough for them to pursue the person," Columbia's Transportation Director Alan Cantrell said.
The new tech came with an almost $60,000 price tag paid with ODE and community grants. Cantrell said it's been a worthy investment.
"It's all about safety," he said. "Anytime you can make it better for the driver, make it better and safer for children is a win-win situation."
North Ridgeville City Schools shares the same thought. The district started adding stop-arm cameras to its fleet in 2019.
"Every bus on the road has one now," Transportation Supervisor Joseph Schultz said. "Anyone that runs a bus in North Ridgeville, we got you, and we will send you to the police department."
The goal is to have stop-arm cameras on each bus by the end of this year to stop a serious problem.
"We will get drivers that get six in one stop," Schultz said. "We get others that have about ten plus a day in violations."
It's those violators that keep bus driver Karl vigilant on the roads. In the Columbia Local Schools district, she saw people passing her bus almost daily. It's stopped since the addition of stop arm extensions and cameras, but she still worries about witnessing a serious accident.
"Think about the consequences," Karl said to those unwilling to stop. "You don't want to be the person that hurts a child."
