2,500+ tickets to be issued for Hillsborough County drivers illegally passing school buses
TAMPA, Fla, (WFLA) — The first week of ticketing people who illegally passed a school bus in Hillsborough County resulted in a staggering number of violations.
"It's totally inappropriate and illegal," Hillsborough County father Elvis Jardines said. "You can kill a child."
The Hillsborough County School District installed artificial intelligence cameras that can see license plates from up to eight lanes away.
In the first week of live ticketing, school district officials said those cameras caught between 2,500 and 3,000 people illegally passing school busses.
"That's crazy," John Barkules said. "I can't believe people are even doing that. I mean, kids are crossing the road. That puts them all at risk of getting run over. That's terrible."
When to stop for a school bus:
On a two-way street, drivers going in both directions must stop
On a highway divided by a paved median, all drivers moving in either direction are also required to stop
The only time traffic approaching an oncoming school bus does not need to stop is if there is a raised barrier like a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic. In this situation, drivers moving in the opposite direction don't have to stop for the bus
Drivers caught by the cameras breaking the law could face a $225 ticket.
"I think it's great," Barkules said. "People shouldn't be flying by school busses when they got the stop sign out. That's for kids' safety."
So where does all of the money go?
School district officials said the company that installed the cameras gets most of the money, then law enforcement gets a share and the school system gets a cut.
The money that goes to the school district could be used for bus driver pay and other transportation needs within the Hillsborough County school system.
