The School District of Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and BusPatrol have launched the Palm Beach County School Bus Passing Safety Program to deter drivers from passing stopped school buses.
About 750 buses in the district’s fleet now have advanced stop-arm cameras. The systems switch on when a bus displays its flashing red lights, capturing video and photos of vehicles that fail to stop. The program operates under a Florida law passed in 2023 that authorizes school bus infraction detection systems.
Each flagged event is reviewed by the Sheriff’s Office. If a deputy confirms a violation, a Notice of Violation is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle.
Officials cited national and state figures to make the case. The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates motorists illegally pass stopped buses about 40 million times a year nationwide. A single-day survey in Florida recorded more than 8,000 illegal passes, and federal data ranks Florida second in the nation for fatal school bus-related crashes.
Drivers must stop when a bus shows flashing red lights or an extended stop arm, and stay stopped until the signals turn off and the bus moves.
Owners who receive a notice can view footage at alertbus.com using their violation number and license plate number. The AlertBus Customer Contact Center, at 1-877-504-7080, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers help in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Haitian Creole.
