Apparently the giant yellow bus, flashing red lights and stop sign still aren’t enough of a hint for some Miami-Dade drivers.
Since the county’s school bus camera program came back online in May, more than 27,000 citations have been issued to drivers accused of illegally passing stopped school buses.
And some of the video is terrifying.
In one case, a driver passes within inches of children in a crosswalk. Another shows kids already in the road while a car continues past the bus.
Each school bus is equipped with nine cameras capturing multiple angles. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office says the footage is reviewed by an actual person before a citation is mailed.
And that citation isn’t cheap.
Failing to stop will cost you $225.
At that price, roughly $6 million worth of citations have been issued in about four months, although some violations may ultimately be dismissed.
Deputies say common excuses include drivers claiming they didn’t realize the bus had stopped or saying they weren’t the person behind the wheel.
But with nine cameras watching, that’s becoming a pretty difficult argument to make.
The goal, officials say, isn’t to catch more drivers.
It’s to eventually have nobody to catch.