BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County public school buses are now equipped with AI-powered cameras that capture drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses. Starting Wednesday, those caught will receive a $225 ticket in the mail.
The goal of the program, dubbed the Brevard County School Bus Safety Program, is to change driver behavior over time and reduce illegal passing, ensuring children get to and from school safely.
“I think it’s a good thing, I’ve seen lots of cars kind of go over the school buses that go around them just because they’re impatient and you don’t know who’s crossing,” said Ivan, who has a child at a Brevard County school.
[WATCH: New tool helps catch drivers illegally passing Florida school buses]
Parents appreciate the new enforcement, knowing that drivers who do not respect school buses will face significant penalties.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea. I’m fully supporting it because I see a lot of people ignoring it, and we have a very, very busy road here. So, I think it’s a great idea,” Natalie Brankey, another parent, told News 6.
The bus safety program is a collaboration between the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and Brevard County Public Schools. It equips buses with advanced safety technology, including AI-powered stop-arm cameras that detect when a car illegally passes a bus.
Florida law requires drivers to stop when a school bus displays its stop signal. However, parents in the county have witnessed reckless driving near school buses.
“I witnessed a little girl get hit at the last place we were at in Texas by a driver being impatient around a suburb. The speed limit was 25 miles an hour. Must have been going maybe 35 or 40,” Ivan said. “Even if you’re late, you’re just late, and that’s fine. It’s not worth accidentally hitting somebody.”
The state passed a law in 2023 allowing videos from school bus cameras to be used to cite motorists who illegally pass stopped buses.
During the pilot program, 10 buses recorded nearly 800 illegal passings, averaging about two buses per day, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
Footage from the cameras is sent to law enforcement for independent review before tickets are issued.
Data from Bus Patrol, the company behind the AI technology, shows that over 90% of first-time violators do not illegally pass a school bus again.
The technology is not without its issues, though.
News 6 Investigator Mike DeForest reported back in March about a Volusia County man who received a ticket for illegally passing a school bus in Miami Beach, even though the man had not been in South Florida that day.
[WATCH: Miami school bus camera’s blurry license plate photo led to $225 ticket]
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office had contracted with Bus Patrol.
The sheriff’s office suspended enforcement of certain infractions with the program after reporting from the Miami Herald showed the issue was more widespread.
For more information on the program in Brevard County and the state law regarding stopping for school buses, click here.