Hillsborough County Schools using AI to catch drivers failing to obey school bus stop signs
The Brief
Videos recorded on Hillsborough County Schools buses show several drivers failing to obey school bus stop signs.
The videos are part of a program called BusPatrol.
The company is using AI to collaborate with school districts and law enforcement to hold drivers who don't obey the law accountable.
TAMPA, Fla. - New videos recorded on Hillsborough County Schools buses show several drivers failing to obey school bus stop signs.
These videos are part of a program called BusPatrol, which is a company using artificial intelligence to collaborate with school districts and law enforcement to hold drivers who don't obey the law accountable.
A video shows a black car passing a school bus and failing to stop. The driver comes within just feet of a student in the middle of the road.
Dig deeper
The scary encounter is just one of several recorded by Hillsborough County Schools over the last few months.
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"Every single one of these close calls and near-misses are jarring for the average person, to parents, to school administrators," BusPatrol America Chief Growth Officer Steve Randazzo said.
BusPatrol is a nationwide program that is free to school districts. The company uses its own artificial intelligence, Ava, to identify violators using license plates.
That information is then sent to law enforcement, who ultimately decide whether to issue a citation.
"When the bus is slowing down, Ava's brain sort of wakes up, and then all of the telemetry of the bus is hooked into the bus patrol system through Ava, so Ava knows when the buses, amber lights, the yellow lights start flashing, even knows when the school bus is slowing down," Randazzo said.
As Randazzo explains, distracted driving is a common theme that causes drivers to fail to obey bus stop signs.
Why you should care
According to the Florida Department of Education, more than 11,000 illegal passes occur daily, equaling to nearly 2 million violations over a 180-day school year.
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"If folks were more mindful, and we're a little bit more cautious and paying attention, it can wait, even though it might be annoying to wait a minute for the kids to get on or off the school bus," Randazzo said. "Even if you're rushing to that meeting, it's not worth the risk. It's not worth the risk to risk a child's life."
How many citations have been issued since Hillsborough County Schools started using the program last summer is unclear. Still, according to BusPatrol, 90% of drivers ticketed don't receive a second citation.
The Source
FOX 13's Jordan Bowen collected the information in this story.
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