School districts around the nation are exploring use of stop arm cameras as a way to deter unsafe driving near their buses. However, a stop arm camera by itself won't stop bad drivers. BusBoss has some tips to help ensure the success of your camera initiative.

Illegal passing is an enormous school bus safety concern around the country. One recent New York study shed some light on the problem and just how vast it’s become. According to the report, tens of thousands of vehicles pass stopped buses each and every day.

Survey results released by the Florida Department of Education indicate that illegal passing of school buses is a continued problem. Nearly 10,000 drivers across the state participated in the survey, which documented the number and type of illegal incidents, along with what part of the day they took place. Unfortunately, illegal passing is not unique to Florida. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that most violations go unreported, so the problem may be extraordinarily widespread.

Fulton County, Georgia, is implementing a new program that will use stop-arm cameras to catch drivers who illegally pass school buses. School districts across the country are finding success with similar programs, designed to enhance school bus safety. Stop-arm cameras provide photographic evidence of vehicles that pass school buses while they are preparing to unload or load students.

Indiana is now leading the way in the push to increase school bus safety with stop-arm cameras.

The East Noble School Corporation (ENSC) in Indiana has been awarded a $50,000 grant by the state's Department of Homeland Security specifically for the purpose of adding both back and forward facing stop-arm cameras to their entire school bus fleet. This follows a successful pilot program introduced this past spring, testing the use of such a camera on one bus.

Illegal passing of school buses is a major school bus safety concern. Though passing a stopped school bus is against the law in most areas, traffic codes vary from state to state. Because this poses such a threat to students, many local governments are cracking down and developing legislation to prevent the practice.

Illegal passing of school buses is a huge safety concern for school bus transportation officials. In a 2013 report for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, during a single-day count, school bus drivers documented over 3,000 vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses.

This problem is not unique to one area of the country. After the installation of stop arm cameras on school buses in Austin, TX, over 1,000 violators were captured during a 30 day grace period.