New Law Allows Drivers To Be Prosecuted From School Bus Video

Approximately 300 new laws have gone into effect as of Nov. 1.

One of those laws aims to keep children safe as they get on and off the school the bus. 

It allows stop arm cameras to be used to catch drivers in the act of passing a stopped school bus. 

The cameras are on the side of the bus, not on the actual arm of the stop sign. 

"Now, we can catch the picture with the camera and send it to the police department and they can write a ticket based off of that camera footage," said Donnie Ryan, the assistant transportation director for Mustang Public Schools.  

The district has two cameras ready to be used. Ryan said they've had the cameras for a while but have been waiting for the law to go into effect. 

"We have made the determination that it is such an important piece to the specs of our buses that ... every bus we get is going to come equipped with a stop arm camera," Ryan said.

Mustang Public Schools are hoping these cameras, along with their new partnership with law enforcement known as Badges on Buses, will help curb violations, Ryan said.

Related: Badges On Buses Program Expands To Mustang Public Schools 

"Right now, I would say just in our district alone we have 20 to 60 violations a day," said Joel Illgen, the Putnam City Schools transportation director.

Illgen said they are in a pilot stage and the district is testing one camera.

Administrators said they started thinking about this when they heard about the new law a few months ago.

"The idea is we will eventually grow the program, so we have more help in this area with more pieces of technology," said Illgen. 

He said their pilot camera will be used all over and not just in one target area. 

Click here to read the full law.