Peabody, Massachusetts to expand school bus camera program to capture violations

A close call involving a 15-year-old girl in Gloucester, Massachusetts, is highlighting the dangers of drivers passing stopped school buses. 

A video taken on Wednesday morning showed a Jeep screeching to a halt as Adele Whitman was crossing the street to board her bus. The bus driver honked his horn to alert the Jeep driver to stop. 

"I felt terrified, because I'm only 15, and I didn't know what was going to happen," Whitman said. 

"The bus stopped and the stop sign went out and the lights were flashing, and this Jeep just came flying down the street," said Annie Whitman, Adele's mom. 

In Peabody, officials are expanding a program that uses cameras mounted on school buses to identify drivers who fail to stop when buses are loading or unloading students. 

Over the next few months, every school bus in the city is expected to be equipped with cameras that can capture violations and help authorities issue citations. 

The city of Peabody launched the pilot program in partnership with BusPatrol, installing cameras on 10 school buses. In just 30 days, the cameras identified more than 800 violations. 

"This is not an effort to ticket people. The goal is not to raise money through this effort. The goal is to try to help correct behavior," Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said. 

The program is intended to discourage dangerous driving and reinforce the importance of stopping for school buses when their red lights are flashing and stop arms are extended. 

Bettencourt said the camera program will not cost taxpayers anything. Instead, it will be funded through revenue generated by citations issued for violations. 

Officials hope the expansion will send a clear message to drivers that student safety is a priority. 

"I'm hoping that this will send a message to families that we take their child's safety seriously and that we have a community that really puts them first," Peabody Schools Superintendent Joshua Vadala said.