New Jersey Lawmakers Push For Automated Fines For Drivers Passing Stopped School Buses

In an effort to protect children from reckless motorists, New Jersey lawmakers are proposing a system that would automate tickets for drivers who illegally pass school buses. The plan, which has sparked comparisons to the state’s controversial red-light camera program, would allow towns to install cameras on school buses to capture violations and issue fines without adding car insurance points.

The proposal would allow cameras to automatically record drivers who pass a school bus when children are embarking or disembarking. Law enforcement would review the footage before issuing a $250 fine. Unlike manually flagged violations, these automated fines would not add points to the driver’s insurance.

However, the bill has drawn criticism from some lawmakers, who warned that it could result in unfair tickets, arguing that under the new system, drivers who reasonably proceed with caution when a bus has its yellow lights flashing might still be fined.

Current New Jersey law requires motorists on either side of an undivided roadway to stop at least 25 feet from a school bus with flashing red lights, while those on the opposite side of a divided road may continue driving at no more than 10 miles per hour. Under the existing system, bus drivers record violations and forward them to law enforcement, with fines starting at $100 and penalties including possible jail time and insurance points.

The new bill, which passed unanimously through the Assembly Education Committee, would raise fines for first-time manual violations to $250 and remove the possibility of jail time.

Critics have drawn comparisons between this proposal and the failed 2008 red-light camera program, which faced issues such as faulty ticketing and legal disputes.

Though crashes involving children getting off school buses are rare, motorists frequently fail to stop for buses. In a recent pilot program in Woodbridge, 17.5 cars passed stopped school buses on average each day.

The Department of Transportation reported in 2013 that red-light cameras led to a decrease in some types of traffic collisions but cautioned that the data was limited.

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