Dearborn school buses add exterior cameras

DEARBORN, Mich. (FOX 2) - The City of Dearborn is equipping school buses with cameras to catch those who drive illegally, keeping students safe.

Big picture view:

Cameras will be placed on the side of buses, recording any driver that doesn’t stop when the stop sign is out and lit.

Violators will be recorded and video provided to Dearborn police which will issue a citation in the mail.

On Monday Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and other city officials gathered to unveil the new bus safety program. 

Officials say in the U.S. that 40 million drivers illegally pass by stopped school buses.

In Michigan, there are 2,200 violations a day and 400,000 per school year.

What they're saying:

Talal Hazimeh is a bus driver for Dearborn Public Schools.

"A lot of times we’ll get drivers pretend like they don’t see the bus stopping," he said. "And now they’ll be able to be caught and a ticket will be issued for the safety for the kids. It’s very important and I’m happy that they’re putting it on the buses for us."

Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said Dearborn is the first city in Michigan to do this.

"Obviously we’re the third largest school district here in the state of Michigan," Hammoud said. "And reckless driving is the no. 1 issue. So the opportunity to help deter bad behaviors on our roads is extremely important. The opportunity to help prevent any accidents as it pertains to our most vulnerable population, one of our most vulnerable populations - our children, is extremely important to us.

"You heard the data statistics earlier. Nine out of 10 drivers who do get the citation never commit the crime again."

Monday was the start of what is being called the warning period, but the program officially begins Jan. 19.

Officials say the program is violator-funded with no cost to taxpayers.