POTTSTOWN, PA — Owen J. Roberts School District (OJR) announced it will partner with local law enforcement and BusPatrol to launch a new School Bus Safety Program in line with PA Motor Vehicle Code § 3345, beginning Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.
As part of the safety initiative, the entire fleet of OJR school buses will be outfitted with automated enforcement technology to detect the license plates of vehicles that fail to stop for school buses while the stop sign is out and red lights are engaged, putting children at risk. If a violation is detected, video evidence is shared with local law enforcement for review before a citation is issued by mail.
“Every day, we transport more than 6,000 children in our community to OJR schools and other classrooms across the region,” said Dr. Will Stout, superintendent of Owen J. Roberts School District. “The safety of every student is our top priority. This safety initiative helps us protect children from the needless risk of cars not following traffic laws while a school bus is transporting students to class.”
As stated by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, motorists must stop at least 10 feet away from school buses with red lights flashing and stop-arm extended. The penalty for a first-time violation is $300.
In 2021, Pennsylvania’s Operation Safe Stop reported more than 250 stop-arm violations in one day. In 2020, Allentown School District captured over 200 illegal passing attempts on just two school buses during a 47-day stop-arm study. This is equal to 2.18 violations per bus, per day.
Learn more about the Owen J. Roberts School District at www.ojrsd.com.
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