American Traffic Solutions Finds School Bus Stop Arm Cameras Reducing School Bus Passing Violations
Tempe, AZ. – American Traffic Solutions (ATS) is helping school districts across the country protect children from reckless drivers who fail to stop for school buses, according to a new analysis of ATS’ CrossingGuard School Bus Safety Camera programs in operation.
ATS CrossingGuard school bus stop arm cameras are typically placed on bus routes where a significant stop arm running problem has been identified. And while the number of violations on those routes fell by more than 15 percent during the school year, ATS customers have reported stop arm running violation decreases fleet wide, on all buses. In Cobb County Georgia, there were 1300 violations issued in August of 2013. In April of 2014, the number was 767, a 40 percent decrease.
ATS supports all CrossingGuard stop arm programs with award winning public education materials that help increase community awareness about the dangers of school bus stop arm running.
The ATS-produced analysis also finds that less than 1 percent of drivers who receive one ticket get a second citation. Both results indicate the camera safety programs are off to a quick start at gaining drivers’ attention and influencing their behavior. To view the online report visit: www.atscrossingguard.com
“Each year, millions of drivers ignore their local traffic laws and blatantly pass school buses with children nearby who are innocently expecting drivers to stop. ATS is proud to work with so many school districts that recognize the safety benefits that come from installing cameras on the side of their school buses to assist police with the enforcement of traffic laws,” said ATS State and Local Government Solutions President Adam Tuton.
The study tracks the number of citations issued from 290 school bus safety cameras in 15 separate programs in Georgia, Maryland, Virginia and Texas during the 2013-2014 school year. The report calculates the average number of citations per camera because programs in the study came online at different times throughout the year. Other findings in the online report include:
- Authorities issued 14,319 citations based on traffic violations captured on school bus safety cameras.
- The day of the week when most citable infractions occur is Wednesday.
- Slightly more violations occur on afternoon routes than for morning.
- For violations issued during the 2013/2014 school year, 99 percent of all drivers who received a violation for illegally passing a stopped school bus, did not receive a second. This low rate of repeat offenders indicates drivers are changing their behavior.
Motorists put students at great risk when they fail to stop for school buses while children make their way toward or away from the big yellow buses. Passing vehicles are responsible for 39 percent of all student school bus loading and unloading fatalities since 1970 in the United States, according to the Kansas State Department of Education, which tracks these incidents. Last year, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimated 15 million drivers illegally passed stopped school buses across the country.
This is ATS’ first progress report on its CrossingGuard School Bus Stop Arm Safety Camera Program. For a video of stop arm violations visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es_ZKzr1yjc.
About American Traffic Solutions:
ATS is proud to be the market leader in road safety camera installations in North America. ATS has more than 3,200 installed red-light, speed safety cameras and school bus stop arm cameras serving more than 30 million people. ATS Fleet Services is a leader in providing both Toll and Violation Management Solutions to fleets and rental customers saving them time and money. For more information, please visit: www.atsol.com. ATS can also be found on Twitter, @ATS_Roadsafety; Facebook, ATSolutions; and YouTube, ATSROADSAFETY.
Contact: Charles Territo
Title: Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing, Communications
Phone: (480) 443-7000
Email: media@atsol.com