ANNAPOLIS — Maryland lawmakers are pushing a bill through the Senate that would enable local jurisdictions to monitor and ticket drivers using video cameras mounted on school buses.
Under the bill, drivers caught on tape illegally passing a stopped school bus would be eligible for a fine of up to $250. School bus drivers would be responsible for notifying law enforcement officials of violations and handing over the tapes, according to Sen. Joseph M. Getty, R-Baltimore and Carroll counties.
The measure outlines few limitations for jurisdictions that wish to implement the road-monitoring program, other than specifying that a law enforcement officer must be employed to review the tapes and issue citations.
Local officials would use their discretion in choosing the recording technology and hours of operation for the monitoring devices, Getty said.
“Localities know they have to have a program that passes muster,” he said.
But Minority Whip E.J. Pipkin of the Eastern Shore said some localities can’t be trusted to make those decisions without additional state regulations.
“We’re leaving it to the locals yet drivers all over the state could be impacted by this,” Pipkin said.
He also said he is concerned that the bus drivers would play a role in operating the cameras and reporting violations.
Maryland drivers currently are eligible for up to three points and a $1,000 fine if they are caught illegally passing a stopped school bus.
