New Technology Makes Riding School Buses Safer

The Syracuse City School District in Syracuse, N.Y., recently unveiled a bus ; the device will take pictures of the license plates of vehicles that pass busses while the flashing stop sign is extended. The bus will then transfer the images to the police. Violators will face hundreds of dollars in fines and possible jail time.

"Passing a school bus when it is stopped is illegal. And when those red lights are going you should not pass that school bus," said Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner David Swarts.

The mobile plate hunter technology is not new. In fact, it is being used in law enforcement agencies throughout the state. But this will be the first time it's used on a school bus anywhere in the country.

"It feels great to be chosen and at the forefront of all the safety that there is available to the school bus industry in the nation," said Syracuse Schools Transportation Director Pat Bailey.

But the district said it feels even better knowing the 14,000 students who ride their buses everyday will be even safer.

The mobile license plate reader was provided by a grant from the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.