$2.5 million in fines: Thousands of Miami drivers caught passing school buses

• It also mirrors a national effort to curb illegal school bus passing.

State of play: Launched in May as a collaboration between Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami-Dade Police and the safety group BusPatrol, the program equipped the district's fleet of 1,000 buses with stop-arm cameras that monitor the left side of the bus.

• Drivers who pass a stopped bus with flashing lights and an extended stop arm are sent a $225 fine in the mail, as set by Florida law.
• The program is entirely funded by the fines, which go toward maintaining the AI-equipped cameras, installing signs and other operational costs, a Miami Dade Police spokesperson tells Axios.

Stunning stat: Since the first day of school on Aug. 15, police have reported about 11,500 school bus violations – 1,600 per school day.

• At $225 a pop, that's $2,587,500 in fines.
• Video shared by Miami-Dade Police showed cars illegally passing buses as kids were trying to cross the street.

What they're saying: MDPD Det. Andre Martin tells Axios it's "alarming" to see so many violations.

• "The violation data demonstrates that reckless driving that occurs around the school buses is a serious problem in Miami-Dade County," he wrote in an email.

• Similarly, the district's Chief Operating Officer Luis Diaz told Axios the number of infractions underscores the need to "emphasize driver safety around school buses."

Flashback: During a 30-day trial period prior to the launch, police mailed out more than 10,000 warnings to violators, per the school district.

The big picture: In 2023, Florida joined a growing list of states that have passed stop-arm camera laws. As of this year, at least 25 states have similar laws.

• In 2023, more than 8,400 Florida bus drivers reported upwards of 11,600 illegal passings in one day, which would total more than 2 million violations in a school year.