BUSPATROL Technology to help keep children safe to and from school
BY MARIEKE ANDRONACHE
Special to The Press
Amber Clarke was waiting with her daughter Olivia Clarke-Ortiz and a friend, at the corner bus stop on 14th and Allen St., Allentown at a school bus stop, when she saw a car speed by, with the driver ignoring safety rules, as well the bus stop sign.
The car nearly hit Clarke’s daughter, who was in her first days of kindergarten at Arts Academy Charter School.
What angered Clarke the most was the driver, who was on his cellphone, looking back and laughing.
Clarke told The Press she was surprised when the crossing guard told her there was no point in raising the issue with anyone because “no one cares.”
For Clarke, that was unacceptable.
She began taping cars rushing past stopped school buses, ignoring stop signs and clearly putting school-age children at risk.
Clarke then started knocking on doors, trying to gather support.
She told The Press things started moving when she went to state Sen. Pat Browne, R-16th, who not only listened to her, but helped her move the issue front and center in Harrisburg.
Together, with state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, D-132nd, and state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-22nd, Clarke and Browne worked tirelessly to get the message out that something had to be down to strengthen existing laws, ensuring the safety of school-aged children.
“The safety and security of our children is of utmost importance. Children must be safe at school, as well as to and from school,” Browne said at a news conference Aug. 24 at South Mountain Middle School, Allentown.
Attendees included Browne, Schlossberg, and others.
In addition, BusPatrol CEO and Founder, Jean Souliere was on hand at the presentation.
Representatives from the Northwestern Lehigh, Kutztown, Allentown, Bethlehem Area school districts and local police departments also took part in the presentation.
These school districts, as part of an ongoing effort to enhance student safety this new school year, have partnered with local law enforcement and BusPatrol to modernize school buses with safety technology to curb illegal motorist behavior around school buses.
The school districts will also launch an educational campaign to remind motorists to stop for school buses and teach children important safety tips for getting on and off school buses.
Every day in Pennsylvania, thousands of motorists illegally pass stopped school buses, putting the lives of children at risk.
Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill on July 1, 2020, introduced by Browne and state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-46th, to strengthen the school bus stop arm law.
This is where BusPatrol comes into play.
BusPatrol is a company which has built a technology allowing for key placed cameras on school buses to capture driving safety violations, leading to ticketing.
“This is about safety and ensuring that violators are not repeat offenders,” Souliere told The Press.
On that latter point, Souliere claims 96 percent to 98 percent of offenders don’t receive a second ticket and only 4.8 percent contest their ticket.
Why is that?
Because one can go online and see the video of the offense.
Authentic Violation Assessment is the BusPatrol camera attached on the side of the school bus which can record the traffic violations.
It is quickly becoming a tool of choice for many districts across the United States and has the endorsement of local police departments, including a couple in the Lehigh Valley.
According to Allentown Police Chief Charles Roca, BusPatrol is a great initiative.
Roca said this technology will hopefully deter drivers from ignoring the law and help promote safety at all school bus stops.
“As a community, we need to come together and ensure we are keeping our children safe” Roca said.
His hope is more districts will see the merit of this technology, helping hold violators accountable and children safe.