A Duval County Public Schools news release asks Jacksonville-area drivers to consider whether passing a school bus is worth the risk of injuring a child - or worse.
Recently, a chilling close call was captured on a bus camera – one that could have ended in tragedy.
A driver on the 1300 block of North Jefferson Street ignored two flashing extended stop signs as students prepared to exit.
Within seconds, the driver’s vehicle narrowly missed a student exiting the school bus. Moments later, two more students follow, crossing the street directly in front of the now-stopped car.
For Chayla Ferguson, Duval County Public Schools Director of Transportation, what the video reveals is simple: “Stopping is not optional.”
The video comes as a result of the Bus Stop-Arm Camera Violation Program, which launched in April of this year. Each district bus is equipped with stop-arm technology that captures video and license plate information of vehicles that illegally pass a stopped school bus while the stop-arms are extended. Violations carry a fine of $225.
Duval County School Police Chief Jackson Short said nearly 4,000 citations have been approved since the first day of school, Aug. 10.
The video is a reminder of the “why” behind the program – protecting students’ lives.
“This video highlights the importance of following state law by stopping for school buses with their red lights flashing,” said Short. “We narrowly avoided a tragedy on this day, and we hope that this is a wake-up call to all of Duval County drivers.”
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