POLK COUNTY, Fla — You will now have to pay up if you blow past a school bus in Polk County when the stop arms are extended. The grace period has ended and drivers will now be ticketed.
The ticket is $198 and it will arrive in the mail.
Polk County School District leaders counted more than 400 drivers illegally passing stopped school buses.
The cameras affixed to the buses are similar to red light cameras and the goal is to catch drivers who don't stop. The cameras are positioned all around the bus to catch several different angles and have been up and running since the start of the new school year.
Drivers were given a grace period, but now that grace period is over, which means you will get a ticket if you break the law.
Kapila Sutton told ABC Action News that anything to help better protect her daughter and other children is a good idea.
“Definitely a good idea for the safety of the kids," she said. “There are way too many people that don’t follow the rules, so adding a camera would help with that.”
Glorianna Ruiz told ABC Action News earlier this year she saw a student almost get hit by a car that didn't stop.
"One time, we stopped, and the kid was going to start crossing the street, and a driver just passed the school bus and kept on going," she said.
The Polk County Superintendent said during the 2023-2024 school year, the district lost 22 students to traffic deaths and he hopes these cameras can help bring that number down.
“You threw my son under the bus. You didn't take care of him.”
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