No one is thinking about back to school just yet, but the numbers are in from last school year and from November 18, 2024 through June 26, 2025 there were 14,897 tickets, across 879 buses, mailed to motorists who were caught on camera failing to stop for school buses stopped with their red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. Less than 7% of the violations were from repeat offenders.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said: “The safety of our children is non-negotiable, and the success of this program sends a clear message that illegal and dangerous passing of stopped school buses will not be tolerated. Every ticket issued through our School Bus Stop Arm Safety Camera Program sends a message that we are looking out for our kids and that drivers who illegally pass school buses will be held accountable for breaking the law, even when they think no one is watching. In less than one year this program has grown to be integrated within 12 of Westchester’s school districts, with seven more set to participate by next school year. By leveraging public awareness and utilizing smart enforcement tools like this new school bus safety camera system, we’re not only holding reckless drivers accountable – we’re creating safer streets and peace of mind for families throughout our County.”
Videos of motorists caught on camera illegally passing stopped school buses in Westchester County – as captured by BusPatrol – can be viewed here.
Westchester school districts currently participating in the safety program are:
- Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District
- Croton-Harmon Schools
- Eastchester Union Free School District
- Greenburgh Central School District
- Harrison Central School District
- Hendrick Hudson Central School District
- Katonah-Lewisboro School District
- Lakeland Central School District
- Mamaroneck Schools
- Ossining Union Free School District
- Tarrytown Union Free School District
Seven additional school districts in the county are set to opt-in to the program for the 2025-26 school year. They are:
- Ardsley Union Free School District
- Bedford Central School District
- Bronxville Union Free School District
- Irvington Union Free School District
- Pelham Union Free School District
- Rye Neck Union Free School District
- Yorktown Central School District
BusPatrol CEO Karoon Monfared said: “Our program is proven to significantly decrease the occurrence of illegal school bus passings and change driver behavior to safeguard children. While the initiative is just getting started in Westchester County, the small number of repeat offenders shows that our approach is effective in that drivers learn and modify their behavior after being held accountable for their actions.”
As part of the safety initiative, all school buses in the participating districts’ fleet are equipped with BusPatrol’s AI-powered stop-arm cameras to detect the license plates of vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses with their red lights flashing and stop-arm extended, endangering children. The video evidence is then shared with law enforcement for review before a summons is issued.
New York State law requires motorists to stop at least 20 feet away from a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and stop-arm deployed. The penalty for breaking the law as captured by the school bus stop-arm camera is assigned to the vehicle owner, and it comes with a minimum civil penalty of $250. Driver’s license points or insurance rates cannot be affected through the stop-arm camera civil enforcement.
