State Representative Don Parsons

In a recent comment on one my posts, an individual commented that, every day, as a school bus driver, she sees vehicles passing the school bus she drives that is stopped and with children embarking/disembarking. She wrote that she has even seen them drive upon the sidewalk to pass the bus. I am not disputing what she has written.

However, I will submit this: If the school system for which she drives has contracted with a third-party vendor to supply the video stop-arm camera as described in Georgia Code 40-6-163, and if the school bus she drives is equipped with the stop-arm camera, then that camera should be recording those violations which would result in a $1,000 fine for the owner of the vehicle that, under current law, the amount of the fine cannot be changed by a judge.

However, on the other hand, if the school system she drives for has not contracted with a third-party vendor to provide the stop-arm camera, or for any other reason there is not a stop-arm camera to record violations, then she is required by Georgia law to record specifically the vehicle description, license number of the offending vehicle, and time and place of occurrence on forms furnished by the Department of Public Safety. Such report shall be submitted within 15 days of the occurrence of the violation to the local law enforcement agency which has law enforcement jurisdiction where the alleged offense occurred.

The following is directly from Georgia Code 40-6-162: (c) Every school bus driver who observes a violation of subsection (a) of this Code section is authorized and directed to record specifically the vehicle description, license number of the offending vehicle, and time and place of occurrence on forms furnished by the Department of Public Safety. Such report shall be submitted within 15 days of the occurrence of the violation to the local law enforcement agency which has law enforcement jurisdiction where the alleged offense occurred.

(14) Any school bus driver operating a vehicle equipped with an activated video recording device shall be exempt from the recording provisions of subsection (c) of this Code section.