WASHINGTON – Drivers on the road in Montgomery County will need to be more careful when traveling near stopped county school buses — or risk a $125 fine.
A enforcement new program begins Jan. 2 — the same day Montgomery County schools reopen after winter break.
Montgomery County says it installed automated cameras in several school buses during the winter break. The cameras will record vehicles that pass by school buses with flashing red lights.
The county police’s Automated Traffic Enforcement Unit will review the violations and mail citations to the registered vehicle’s owner. The citations come with a fine of $125 — no points.
Montgomery County Police say it plans to expand the program over the next few months and more heavily target the bus routes with the highest reports of violations.
According to Maryland state law, drivers traveling in the same lane as a school bus must stop if the bus activates its flashing red lights. Drivers approaching a school bus in the opposite direction must also stop, unless there is a phsycial barrier, like a median, between the two lanes.
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