Franklin schools are looking at the possibility of adding stop arm cameras to school buses in an effort to crack down on drivers who don’t stop when children are getting off or on.
Director of Transportation Doug Dickinson said he will meet with local police leaders to discuss the feasibility of adding stop arm cameras, which he said cost about $500 per camera. He said he will ask about how successful cameras might be in capturing license plate numbers, and he wants to know about any legal hurdles in issuing tickets.
“This is an epidemic everywhere,” Dickinson said. “It’s not just something lately or in the past year, it’s something that happens frequently. Even at our schools there are numerous stop arm violations every week. Something we’re looking at is what we can do to deter it and (adding) stop arm cameras. Will they be what fits the bill or should there be different plans to alleviate the issue?”
The issue of drivers ignoring school bus stop arms gained statewide attention after three students were struck and killed by a driver in Rochester in October. Indiana Senate Bill 2 proposes increased penalties for drivers who violate stop arm laws, which could result in drivers being charged with Level 6 felonies for reckless driving and having their licenses suspended for 90 days. Repeat offenders could have their licenses suspended for a year and those who injure someone in the process could be fined up to $20,000.
The bill was authored by Indiana Sen. Randall Head, R-Rolling Prairie, and among co-authors was Indiana Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, who represents portions of the southside of Indianapolis.
The current law prohibits drivers from passing a school bus when the stop arm is extended, in the driver’s direction of traffic when the road has a median, and in both directions when it doesn’t. Breaking that law is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a $140 fine.
If passed, the bill would also make it illegal for school bus drivers to require students to cross a U.S. or state highway to board or depart the bus. All six Johnson County public school districts have a policy to avoid that situation.
The bill doesn’t contain a requirement for schools to add stop arm cameras. If the Franklin district decides to do so, it would be the first in Johnson County.
Drivers are constantly violating stop arm laws in Franklin, Dickinson said.
In April, the Indiana Department of Education conducted its annual violation survey, which tracks how many drivers violate school bus stop arm laws. During the day of the survey, 7,740 drivers statewide committed 3,104 violations, meaning nearly half of school bus drivers noted a violation. In Johnson County, 245 drivers counted 71 violations.
Dickinson said he is also considering extended stop arms that would reach into the neighboring lane as a solution, although he has concerns about liability issues if the arm hits a car. An extended stop arm would also be more expensive, he said.
Cameras are an effective measure for not only catching drivers who violate stop arm laws, but paired with increased fines could also cause drivers to break that law less often, Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran said.
“If (schools) get the proper equipment it would make the job of tracking down drivers much simpler,” Cochran said. “If you utilize cameras, you’d need to take a look at increasing the fine for violations to send a clear message that school bus safety is a priority.
“If they install them they need to install them on every bus that’s out there. I’m not sure picking and choosing will be a deterrent. We’d need to make the public aware that cameras are out there and what the consequences are.”
Greenwood Deputy Police Chief James Ison said he is unsure of how much the cameras would be able to capture, but suggested cameras on both sides of the stop arm in order to try and capture both the violation and the license plate number.
“I think the cameras would be real effective in getting what we’re setting out to do,” Johnson County Sheriff Duane Burgess said. “Sometimes with advertisement of what we’re doing people are more aware and might be less in tune to go and commit a violation.”
The Clark-Pleasant school district has considered adding stop arm cameras but has not taken any action, Transportation Director Bob Downin said. Downin said a pair of cameras, for both the front and back of the stop sign, would cost about $700. He said that although he believes that cameras would lead to an increase in prosecution for stop arm violations, the biggest roadblock is the budget. The district has 60 buses, and installing front and back cameras on all of them would cost about $42,000.
“Buses are now over $100,000,” Downin said. “There needs to be funding from the state if they want to do all this. We have lap-shoulder belts on our buses, it all comes with costs. At what point is the state going to help? It’s all coming out of the transportation budget.”
Downin said with the new budget formula, which creates an education and operations fund for each district, transportation now has to compete with other budget areas for money.
Greenwood schools Director of Transportation Mike Hildebrand shared similar budget concerns and said the district will likely wait to see if any funding for cameras is passed during the current Indiana legislative session.
Dickinson said he plans to approach the Franklin school board no later than April with his findings from conversations with law enforcement. If the district decides to order stop arm cameras for select routes, the money would come out of the transportation budget.
