Bensalem Township School District recently launched a school bus safety program in partnership with the Bensalem Township Police Department to protect children. A press conference was held by Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo, school Superintendent Dr. Samuel Lee and director of public safety William McVey.
All school buses in the district are now equipped with safety technology, including stop-arm enforcement cameras designed to detect vehicles that illegally pass stopped school buses. This safety initiative seeks to curb dangerous motorist behavior around school buses and make the journey to and from school safer for all student riders.
This innovative program will be live at the beginning of the upcoming school year. The penalties for passing a school bus with the stop arm deployed and red lights flashing will be a $300 civil penalty. If the violation is determined to be egregious by the police department after review of the video evidence, the owner/driver will be cited civilly, they will receive a citation with a $250 fine, five points on their driving record and an automatic 60-day suspension of driving privileges upon conviction.
The majority of Street Road through Bensalem Township is a two lane roadway in each direction with a center turning lane with no physical barrier. This means that all traffic should stop in both directions when a school bus is stopped with its warning signals activated. These violations will be cited utilizing this new technology.
