It’s not a red-light camera; instead, it’s a camera on school buses that are nailing speedsters during commuting school hours.
The big problem is drivers not stopping for local school buses.
Many school districts are taking advantage of a 2023 Florida law that allows local Florida cities to place cameras in speed zones and on school buses to catch speeding drivers.
In South Florida, the Miami-Dade County School District has installed 950 cameras on its school buses. In the first two weeks of the school year, over 11,500 drivers were given tickets for not stopping or illegally passing a school bus. The average fine is $225, and the district will earn around $2.5 million from the citations.
The fines paid go directly to the school system. In a video posted by Miami-Dade Police to X (Twitter), several drivers are seen illegally passing school buses while a flashing stop sign is extended in the front and back of the bus. Children are also seen crossing the street as drivers ignore the stopped bus.
In Central Florida, Lake County has placed speed cameras in undisclosed locations to track speeders.
Local government officials say it’s working to make school zones safer, having issued over 770 warning tickets in just the first month.
Here’s how it works: Law enforcement officials set the cameras to spot cars going 10 miles per hour or more over the speed limit. Within 30 days, some drivers caught going over that limit are issued a warning, with others receiving a $100 fine.
Local police will evaluate tickets. If the fine is paid, the driver will not have points assessed to their driving record for the violation.
Numbers from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services show that over 43.5 school buses are illegally passed in the U.S. each year.
