BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Video from cameras on Brevard County school buses show 784 instances of drivers illegally passing the vehicles in the span of just two months, according to news release from safety technology company BusPatrol.
Ten school buses were fitted with AI-powered cameras earlier in 2022 as part of a pilot program. The cameras begin recording when the stop arms on the bus are lowered, according to the company.
Recommended Videos
BusPatrol said the number of illegal passing incidents recorded in August or September equated to 2.1 stop-arm violations per day. The company said the week of Aug. 14 was the most dangerous with more than four violations per bus per day. The Florida Department of Education estimated more than 10,000 such incidents occur daily across the state, BusPatrol said.
[TRENDING: JAWS: Large alligator soaks up sun, surf on Florida beach | Old Sugar Mill Pancake House opens in De Leon Springs State Park | VOTE: Help Amanda Castro choose costume for baby’s 1st Halloween | Become a News 6 Insider]
The report coincides with National School Bus Safety Week, observed every third full week of October. Jean Souliere, founder and CEO of BusPatrol, said in a statement that Florida was facing a crisis when it came to school bus safety.
“These violations are some of the most deliberate and dangerous acts we have seen in the country, and I urge all Floridians to join us in working to give our police and law enforcement the tools they need to keep our kids safe,” Souliere said.
BusPatrol also reached Santa Rosa County District Schools and Duval County Public Schools with separate programs, seeking as a whole to spur changes in state law that would allow the AI-powered camera system to be used to prosecute offenders, according to the report.
See a compilation of several stop-arm violations, uploaded by BusPatrol, in the media player below.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: