School Safety: Just Videotape the Kids

This week, Ansonia, Conn.'s Board of Aldermen approved a camera system for its school buses, according to a report in the Valley Independent Sentinel. The camera equipment captures video from which still photos are pulled for presentation to police. The offending motorist will receive a $450 ticket, according to Ansonia police chief Kevin Hale. Revenue from tickets is divided between the state, the city and the camera vendor, Bus Shield.

The approach seems to be gaining momentum, as a number of other school districts around the country have taken similar measures, installing exterior video cameras on school buses to capture images of scofflaws who put children at risk.

After a car struck a student getting off a school bus in Austin, Texas, the Lake Travis Independent School District studied the problem. In three months, 91 instances of motorists passing stopped school buses with lights flashing were recorded.

Lancaster, Ohio, experienced a similar problem best illustrated by this video of a student nearly hit by a motorist who ignores flashing lights and an extended stop sign.