Video-equipped school buses to be used to nab law breakers
The province is introducing new tools for municipalities to crack down on motorists who blow by stopped school buses while students are getting on and off. Under regulations announced Thursday in London, municipalities can require school buses to be outfitted with stop-arm cameras to capture footage of vehicles that drive by the bus while students are boarding and disembarking. The video can be used as evidence to prosecute the drivers without requiring additional witnesses — typically bus drivers — to attend court.
“We know these measures will hold irresponsible drivers accountable,” said Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek, who represents Elgin-Middlesex-London. “The proactive announcement will benefit our drivers as they focus on the care and control (of their vehicles) as they focus on getting our kids to school,” said Rob Murphy, president of the Independent School Bus Operators Association.
Six municipalities are participating in a pilot project to equip school buses with stop-arm cameras: Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, Sudbury, Brantford, North Bay and Peel Region. To outfit a bus costs between $1,000 and $2,000, say bus operators, who have long called for video evidence to be used to prosecute offenders. Proposed legislation will also beef up fines for the offenders. Currently, motorists who pass a school bus while its stop-arm is out can be fined $400 to $2,000 and get six demerit points. Repeat offenders risk a fine of $1,000 to $4,000 and up to six months in jail. MPP Rick Nicholls (PC—Chatham-Kent-Leamington) previously introduced a private member’s bill to get stop-arm cameras on buses and allow video evidence to be used in court, but it was defeated in 2017.
“Our school bus drivers are unsung heroes. They’re the ones that ensure our children get to school safely and get home safely,” said Nicholls, who called the new measures “long overdue.” Former Chatham-Kent MPP Pat Hoy introduced a school-bus safety bill allowing police to charge the driver and the owner of the vehicle, following the 1997 death of high school student Ryan Marcuzzi, 17, who was struck by an oncoming car as she attempted to board her school bus on Highway 3.