If your district is considering the implementation of a stop arm camera system, there are other policy-related things you can do to help make them a success. Here are a few tips.
Four Ways to Improve the Success Rate of Your Stop Arm Camera Initiative
1. Be Very Public
Stop arm cameras can only work as a deterrent if motorists at large know that they're there. Your decision to introduce stop arm cameras onto your buses should be announced loudly, well ahead of time, and publicized as widely as possible. Give the public weeks, even months, to learn about the coming cameras and about the laws governing driving near school buses.
If this causes some controversy or arguments at public school board meetings, good! The more people hear about the cameras, the more effective they're likely to be.
2. Put Together Informational Packages or Videos
Your district should do what it can to help inform the public about proper driving near buses. Hold open houses where you discuss the relevant driving laws, or put together a video demonstrating right vs wrong behaviors. Beyond publicizing the laws, also help people understand their responsibilities.
(If you have a media-creation class for upperclassmen, this would be an excellent project to hand off to them.)
3. Add More Lights
There's a growing body of evidence that many stop arm violations come as a result of drivers not paying enough attention and not seeing the stop arm. That doesn't excuse their behavior, of course, but it does offer a course to corrective action: add more lights to your bus and stop arm, making it brighter and flashier to help attract the attention of nearby motorists.
4. Work With Law Enforcement to Add License-Related Penalties
There's some reason to think that financial penalties by themselves are of limited use in deterring poor driving behavior. Ideally, your stop arm camera initiative should be backed up by the threat of license restrictions or revocations. Of course, that requires cooperation from law enforcement and potentially new laws being passed. Still, this is an option to pursue if it seems doable.
Stop arm cameras have been shown to work, under the right circumstances.
Have they been beneficial to your district? Let us know in the comments below!