Arizona school district to add cameras to buses to prevent traffic accidents
Sep 19, 2017, 4:32 AM
(Flickr/Phil Roeder)
(Flickr/Phil Roeder)
PHOENIX — A school district in the Valley will add more cameras to its buses in an effort to catch drivers who do not stop for school buses and prevent traffic accidents.
The Tolleson Union High School District plans to add cameras to 18 of its school buses by November. It already has cameras installed in 20 school buses.
James West, the school district’s transportation director, said the primary reason for the cameras is “strictly about safety.”
“We want to take care of our students,” West said. “We want to reassure our parents and our community that we are doing our absolute best that we can to assure their safety when they enter our buses.”
Drivers are supposed to stop on both directions when a school bus displays its flashing lights and has its stop sign extended. West said the video footage will help the school district see what areas have a high number of drivers who aren’t stopping when they’re supposed to.
“Maybe we can take that data and maybe move the stop or find another location that maybe there’s less occurrences of that happening,” he said.
The Tolleson Union High School District is one of the first school districts in Maricopa County to install the cameras. Other school districts are considering the idea.
