Mesquite, TX - August 5, 2016 - There is an average of six school bus violations each day for every 10 buses on the road in Texas. Nationally, more than 400 children have been killed by drivers passing a stopped school bus during the past four decades according to the Institute for Transportation Research and Education. Beginning on Monday, August 22, the City of Mesquite will partner with the Mesquite Independent School District to begin a new program called “Stop on Red. Kids Ahead.”

The program establishes a civil penalty of $300 for the offense of motorists passing a school bus that has come to a complete stop and has extended its stop arm. If the roadway is a divided highway, vehicles traveling on the opposite side of the highway do not have to stop when passing a school bus with an extended stop arm. The stop arms will be equipped with a camera to detect violations. A Mesquite Police Officer will review each video to confirm the violation did occur. Here is a summary of the “Stop on Red. Kids Ahead” program:

• The program will feature high-resolution cameras that are installed at key locations on the exterior of the school bus.
• When a school bus extends its stop arm, the system will automatically detect if a vehicle passes the stopped school bus within the enforced zone.
• If a vehicle passes the school bus, the cameras capture images and video showing the violating vehicle.
• The images include not only the violating vehicle as it passes the school bus, but also the vehicle’s license plate and the extended stop arm of the school bus. The system also records a video of the violating vehicle as further evidence of the violation.
• Violation data and images are wirelessly uploaded for validation, processing and notice issuance by the vendor, American Traffic Solutions, Inc. A final review of the violation image and video is conducted by the Mesquite Police Department, which then will approve or reject the violation.