Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne said she is hopeful momentum can be gained this year to move forward legislation she is co-sponsoring that would fund the "school bus camera safety act" which would place safety arm cameras on school buses.
"School buses filled with students will be back on the road again this week, and I am certain there will immediately be reports of motorists passing those buses when they are stopped," Jenne said.
"The number of violations from state law enforcement is staggering, and we know the numbers are also significant in St. Lawrence and Jefferson counties," Assemblywoman Jenne added.
The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee has reported approximately 50,000 motor vehicles illegally pass school buses on a daily basis when school is in session. Thirty-five students have been hit by motorists illegally passing schools buses in the past four years.
Assemblywoman Jenne said the governor's office has reported it is estimated that 10 million drivers pass school buses nationally every year.
Passing vehicles cause an estimated two-thirds of fatalities when school buses are loading and unloading, according to the American School Bus Council.
More school-age pedestrians are killed between 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. than at any other time of day.
Assemblywoman Jenne said the magnitude of the problem was illustrated on April 27 with the annual Operation Safe Stop enforcement day in New York State.
Seventy police agencies took part in a concerted effort and issued 1,037 tickets to motorists charged with illegally passing stopped school buses.
Motorists convicted of illegally passing stopped school buses face fines ranging from a minimum of $250 for a first violation to a maximum of $1,000 for three violations in three years.
Convictions for unlawfully passing a school bus while it’s stopped to get or let off passengers also results in five points on ones license.
"It is clear this is a major issue in the North Country with reports of more and more distracted drivers on our streets and highways," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"School bus drivers in the Potsdam Central School District felt the problem was serious enough that they led a fundraising effort last year to raise monies to purchase cameras for all buses in an effort to better identify motorists that are illegally passing their school buses," she noted.
She pointed out Potsdam Central school bus drivers had noted the cameras were necessary because they often found it difficult to get the license plate numbers of vehicles that were illegally passing their buses.
"I applaud their effort, but it is clear it makes common sense to make the purchase of safety arm cameras eligible for state aid across the state," she said.
Assemblywoman Jenne said she has cosponsored legislation (A321) carried by Assemblyman William Magnarelli that would provide state funding to assist school districts purchase safety arm cameras for their fleets.
The School Bus Safety Act would authorize the installation of safety arm cameras on school buses and allow the images captured on those cameras to be used for the prosecution of illegally passing a school bus cases.
Civil fines would be levied against the owner of vehicles that are prosecuted as the result of evidence from the school bus cameras. The bill language would also allow a portion of the revenue from fine money to be turned back to the schools to fund the purchase of cameras and other safety equipment.
"I'm hopeful this is the year we can move this bill out of committee and to the floor of the state Assembly for a vote. This is common sense legislation that would serve as another tool in the effort to reduce the number of motorists that violate laws placed on the books in an effort to protect the safety of students," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"As the mom of two students, I know it makes no sense to delay moving this legislation forward until we are faced with a tragedy. We need to focus on moving this legislation forward during our next legislative session," she stressed.