While many school districts are investing in cameras used to catch and fine drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses, three West Virginia districts are trying a different approach. These districts will be temporarily installing extended stop arms they believe will help prevent illegal or dangerous passing violations.
The program runs for two weeks starting Aug. 24 in Kanawha, Cabell, and Greenbriar counties in West Virginia.
The state Department of Education told local news outlets the mechanical arms will be equipped with two stop signs. The first will be the traditional sign two feet from the bus, but the extended arm will also include a second stop sign six feet from the body of the bus.
The stop signs used in the program were donated to the counties by Bus Safety Solutions Inc., and the program will collect data and compare it to a two-week assessment taken last April, which recorded 392 passing violations statewide. Ninety of those violations were reported in Kanawha County alone.
