LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Every time the stop sign rotates out off a Hardin County Schools bus, cameras are rolling, ready to capture any offenders who may drive past the sign, putting kids at risk.
Example after example, the cameras have caught drivers ironing the signs since they were installed in 2017.
"Those buses are bright yellow and have lights all over them for a reason." HCS Transportation Director Chris Corder said. "It's a problem and it's getting worse."
Now, state lawmakers hope to take the practice statewide. Kentucky Rep. David Hale, D-Wellington, sponsored a bill that would penalized such drivers, a bill he also proposed during previous legislative sessions.
"We are protecting — or attempting to protect — the most vulnerable children exiting a school bus," he said.
House Bill 461Â would stiffen fines for offenders and allow districts to install cameras on buses, if they choose to do so. It's Hale's hope that an outside vendor would furnish school districts the cameras with no cost upfront. In return, vendors would be paid back with money collected from fines.
A first offense would be a $500 penalty. For a repeat offender, it would go up to $1,000.
There are more than 8,000 buses in Kentucky, and Hale said the most recent data he has on offenses is from 2019, when districts asked bus drivers on a set day to log any violations of legally stopped buses and illegal passes from passenger cars.
Hale said in one day in 2019, KDE asked drivers to make not of any drivers that pass a stopped bus illegally. 2,848 drivers recorded 475 illegal passes. In the same year, there were 138 total convictions for the entire year.
While it may not be foolproof, Corder said the technology can at least be a deterrent.
"They could make it $1 million, and I really don't think it would stop it. But it would be interesting to see," he said. "If this saves one child from getting hurt, it's worth every penny."Â
If passed, the bill would take effect July 1, 2025.
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