Police in one Montgomery County town are calling for stiffer fines and punishments for drivers who ignore school bus laws.
During a press conference, the Cheltenham Township Police Department shared videos that show several times drivers failed to stop and nearly hit students.
Township officials and police said despite a million dollars in fines over a one-year period, it continues to be a problem.
"Frequently, we see that drivers that are unaware that a bus is even present due to their use of a cellphone or some other distracting activity that is affecting their ability to pay attention to what is going on around them, " said Lt. Andrew Snyder of the Cheltenham Police Department.
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Bus patrol cameras have caught more than 700 violations in October alone. Officials had installed the new cameras just last year.
Every time a car passes a bus stop sign and lights are activated, the video is sent to the police for review.
"We're seeing repeat violators, where $300 wasn't enough, so they do it again and again," Snyder added. "So either increasing the fines or having some other additional enhancement such as a driver's license or vehicle registration suspension are some very real possibilities that we've been talking to our elected officials about."
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