Hillsborough County Schools Crack Down on Drivers Ignoring School Bus Stop Laws
TAMPA, Fla. – Hillsborough County Schools are implementing a new program using artificial intelligence to combat the dangerous issue of drivers failing to stop for school buses.
The program utilizes cameras and AI technology, provided by the company BusPatrol, to capture video of vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses. These videos are then used in collaboration with law enforcement officials to issue citations to offending drivers.
The system, dubbed “Ava” by BusPatrol, monitors the bus’s telemetry.
“When the bus is slowing down, Ava’s brain sort of wakes up, and then all of the telemetry of the bus is hooked into the bus patrol system through Ava, so Ava knows when the buses, amber lights, the yellow lights start flashing, even knows when the school bus is slowing down,” explained Steve Randazzo, Chief Growth Officer for BusPatrol America.
The program is designed to hold drivers accountable for actions that put children at serious risk. One video captured by a Hillsborough County Schools bus showed a car coming within feet of a student while illegally passing a stopped school bus.
“Every single one of these close calls and near-misses are jarring for the average person, to parents, to school administrators,” Randazzo said.
BusPatrol uses its AI technology to capture license plate information and send it to law enforcement authorities. These authorities then decide whether to issue a citation.
According to the Florida Department of Education, over 11,000 illegal passes occur daily throughout the state. This equates to nearly 2 million violations during a typical 180-day school year.
“If folks were more mindful, and we’re a little bit more cautious and paying attention, it can wait, even though it might be annoying to wait a minute for the kids to get on or off the school bus,” Randazzo said. “Even if you’re rushing to that meeting, it’s not worth the risk. It’s not worth the risk to risk a child’s life.”
While the exact number of citations issued since Hillsborough County Schools began using the program is unavailable, BusPatrol reports that 90% of drivers who receive a citation do not receive a second one.
