Guest Blog: Monroe County Office of Public Safety/Traffic Safety
We trust school buses to keep our kids safe—and for the most part, they do a great job. But what if the real danger isn’t the bus, the driver, or even the road conditions?
What if the biggest threat is… other drivers?
WAIT, PEOPLE ARE REALLY PASSING STOPPED SCHOOL BUSES?
Yep. And way more often than you think.
Even though it’s illegal in all 50 states to pass a school bus when its stop sign arm is out and the lights are flashing, people do it constantly. One national report estimated over 45 million violations every year. That’s 45 million times someone risked a child’s life just to save a few seconds.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, CITATION
Monroe County (NY) Executive Adam Bello decided enough was enough. In 2023, the County rolled out a School Bus Safety Program that added cameras to buses in four local school districts. These cameras automatically record any car that blows past a stopped school bus.
The results? Honestly, kind of terrifying.
Over a 19-month period, those cameras caught over 20,000 potential violations. Almost 12,000 of them were confirmed by safety experts and led to actual traffic tickets. To put it another way: every single day, about 50 drivers in just one county ignored a stopped school bus – and could have hit a kid.
WHICH SCHOOLS WERE HIT HARDEST?
Here’s how it broke down by district:
And this isn’t even the full picture. More schools are signing up, and more cameras are being added.
WHY IT MATTERS (BEYOND THE OBVIOUS)
Sure, a traffic ticket is annoying. But this isn’t about a minor infraction—it’s about keeping kids safe while they get on and off the bus. That’s when they’re most vulnerable. They’re small, they move fast, and they’re not expecting a car to whip past the bus that’s supposed to be protecting them.
This camera program isn’t about punishment—it’s about prevention. It’s waking people up and saying: “Hey, pay attention. That’s someone’s child you’re putting at risk.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
- Slow down near schools and neighborhoods—just assume a bus could stop at any moment.
- Never pass a bus with its stop arm out, even if you’re “in a hurry.”
- Spread the word. Most people don’t realize how common this is, and the more people know,
the better. - Talk to your school district about opting into the County’s program – it is free for districts to
join!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Sometimes, safety improvements come from tech. Sometimes, it’s awareness. This time, it’s both. These bus cameras are shining a light on something we’ve been missing—and they’re helping keep our kids safer in the process.
So next time you see a school bus with its lights flashing and the stop sign out, just stop. It’s not just the law—it’s the right thing to do.
monroecounty.gov/school-bus-safety