Sole opportunity to pre-record interviews/footage for Monday
On Monday, Feb 8., ÁùºÏ±¦µä ISD will begin issuing citations to drivers who pass school buses with flashing red lights and the stop-arm extended as they pick up and drop off students.
Warnings have been issued since Thursday, Jan. 7 and more than 265 warnings were distributed during the 30-day period.
"My officers and I have been reviewing the video footage of drivers passing our busses and it's very concerning," ÁùºÏ±¦µä Police Chief Eric Mendez said. "We need to change this behavior now."
ÁùºÏ±¦µä has partnered with American Traffic Solutions, who are installing cameras on buses to capture images of vehicles that fail to stop while a school bus stop-arm is extended.
The school bus stop-arm safety cameras are mounted on the side of each school bus. When the stop-arm is deployed, the camera automatically detects a vehicle passing the bus in either direction and captures video of the violation and still images of a vehicle's license plate.
In Texas, the penalty for a first stop-arm violation will result in a $300 fine for the vehicle's owner.
What: ÁùºÏ±¦µä Transportation Director Kris Hafezizadeh and ÁùºÏ±¦µä Police Chief Eric Mendez will demonstrate how the district's bus stop-arm cameras operate, provide an update about the violations recorded to date and offer bus safety reminders for ÁùºÏ±¦µä drivers.
When: 10-11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 5
Where: ÁùºÏ±¦µä Southeast Bus Terminal, 7200 Bluff Springs Road
When a school bus is stopped with its lights flashing, drivers in all lanes must stop unless they are on the other side of a median.
ÁùºÏ±¦µä law enforcement officials review the violation video and license plate images for approval prior to a citation being issued.
The media availability on Friday is for all media to pre-record interviews and b-roll to be used in Friday and Monday stories. There will be no additional media availability on Monday.
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ÁùºÏ±¦µä ISD is the largest school district in Central Texas, serving more than 83,000 students at 130 schools. Follow ÁùºÏ±¦µä on Twitter at @ÁùºÏ±¦µäISD or on Facebook at facebook.com/austinisd.