BALTIMORE — It's officially back to school time.
Normally traffic tends to lessen with schools out of session.
So now with the new school year getting underway, traffic volume is expected to pick back up.
Carroll County is sounding the alarm over driving habits that put student safety at risk.
On Friday Carroll County Public Schools and the Sheriff’s Office released eye opening numbers of school bus camera violations.
Last school year 5,084 citations were issued to drivers illegally passing a school bus stopped with red flashing lights activated.
The highest number of violations (631) came in November 2023, most of them occurring between 2 and 4pm.
All 300 Carroll County Public School buses are equipped with automated cameras that capture violators.
Despite the high number of citations issued in Carroll, other surrounding counties doubled and tripled that amount.
Last school year in Howard County — 9,554 citations were issued for school bus violations.
In Anne Arundel, school buses flashed 53,270 potential violators between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.
Of those — 19,317 resulted in citations equating to about 98 being issued per day during the regular school year. Records show 97.16 percent of those violators were found guilty.
Over in Harford County, the Sheriff’s Office issued 7,385 citations last school year.
Baltimore County is still getting their school bus camera program underway, but last year they still managed to issue 148 citations, which was down from 175 in 2022.
Maryland state law requires drivers approaching either direction of a stopped school bus with red flashing lights to stop at least 20 feet away until the bus resumes full motion. Divided highways are exempt.
Here's a little chart from Baltimore County Police that helps breakdown the law.
It's estimated that school buses are illegally passed over 43 million times per year in the United States.
