Fewer drivers are illegally passing school buses in Howard County, data shows

For years, school districts in Maryland have been relying on school bus cameras to catch drivers who are putting students' lives at risk.

The company responsible for those cameras shared on Wednesday how much of an impact it's making in Howard County.

The data shows the number of violators are trending down. For information on BusPatrol, check out this website.

Fewer violations

As Howard County Public School bus drivers have their eyes on the road, several other cameras installed on the bus are keeping an eye on everything else.

The cameras are particularly looking for when a driver illegally passes the bus. The cameras are installed by the company BusPatrol free of charge. 

Justin Meyers, BusPatrol's president, said his team works to better the cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) technology it operates with every year.

"Every time [a camera] sees a violation, it asks a human: 'Is this a violation?'" Meyers said. "The human says yes or no. Every time it says yes or no, the algorithm gets a little bit better."

When a bus's stop signs and stopping arm extend, all drivers need to stop. However, in Howard County, thousands every school year don't.

"We've got to work together to eliminate all near misses and potential safety hazards," Howard County schools superintendent Bill Barnes said. "As a community, we should not accept this level of irresponsibility from drivers, placing our students in unnecessary risk." 

During the 2024-2025 school year, the cameras helped provide evidence for nearly 8,300 citations. That's about 46 citations per school day, according to Barnes.

While it's still higher than anyone would like, Howard County Police say it's around 1,000 less than the previous school year.

So far in the current school year, nearly 1,200 citations have been issued because of violations caught on these cameras, according to Howard County Police.

Meyers said BusPatrol data shows violations in Howard County have reduced by half since installing the cameras in 2021.

"Ultimately, it's working," said Maj. Sarah Kayser, the Howard County Police Deputy Chief of Special Operations Command. "Knowing that these citations have literally been cut in half means that we're doing our job."

Around 90% of drivers who get a violation don't re-commit, according to BusPatrol data.

Expanding BusPatrol cameras in Maryland

Right now, BusPatrol is installed in nine school districts in Maryland.

Meyers said his team is on the ground to educate communities on the positive impact the technology could have.

However, he said the decision to install BusPatrol technology is ultimately up to each community.

"Law enforcement, the superintendent's office, the local municipality -- all have to decide that automated enforcement is the right fit for the community," Meyers said.