SAN ANTONIO – Some members of the San Antonio City Council are proposing an ordinance to add cameras to school buses and strengthen existing laws on passing stopped school buses that are loading or unloading children.
According to a news release from the city of San Antonio, children are at greatest risk when they are getting on or off the school bus. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says most children killed in bus-related crashes are pedestrians, 5 to 7 years old, and nearly one-third of the deaths occur in the 10-foot area surrounding the school bus because of passing motorists who ignore flashing red warning lights and disregard a bus's deployed stop arm.
District’s 2 and 6 Councilmen Ray Lopez and Alan Warrick said they hope that cameras installed on school buses could solve the problem of drivers who disregard the law and blow past buses when their stop arms are activated.
"Today, if there's not an officer there to catch that violation there's no way to issue a penalty," Lopez said. "In today's environment we know technology can help us solve a lot of problems. Now we're going to be using technology to say, 'We took a video of that, therefore there will be a penalty assessed."
It's not a new idea. Since 2012, at least 16 Texas cities have passed civil penalty ordinances for bus stop-arm violations.
Lopez tried to get a similar law passed in San Antonio in 2013 but withdrew it because of legal concerns that he said have since been addressed. Now, with the support of local districts like Northeast and Northside Independent School Districts, he believes that he can get an ordinance passed.
Lopez said the schools wouldn't have to pay for the cameras. The provider of the technology would cover the cost.
"If indeed there are fines that are levied, the fines get paid and they will get a portion of that to repay for their investments," Lopez said.
While other cities like Dallas have had difficulty getting drivers to pay fines and judges have dismissed thousands of disputed tickets, Lopez said he believes that this is a step in the right direction to keep children safe.
"This is, I think, a very good way of being able to provide the level of safety we need in our community," Lopez said.
If passed by the council, the ordinance would determine the exact fine for drivers who violate it. State law allows for fines up to $1,000.
The proposed law will be studied in committees and Lopez hopes to get it before council for approval in June with the program starting when children return to school in the fall.