Dothan City Schools & AngelTrax Launch Child Safety Program
Dothan City Schools Implements Video Monitoring Deterrent System to Enhance Student Safety

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DOTHAN, Ala. – Dothan City Schools (DCS) is diligent in its work to ensure safe school bus ridership to and from our schools. As part of our bus safety focus, we teach students rules to follow as they get on and off the bus. Beginning this Spring, DCS will initiate a program with the goal to change driver behavior and make kids safer when drivers in our community encounter school buses on the roadway.

In March, DCS will launch an automated stop-arm violation program using AngelTrax’s Child Safety Program, a safety camera system that monitors and detects drivers who illegally pass school buses. Through this program, DCS and AngelTrax will place cameras on all 89 buses in the DCS fleet as a deterrent for drivers who illegally pass school buses within the Dothan city limits. When the school bus stops and amber lights are activated, the system automatically detects vehicles passing the stopped school bus, and records the incident. After the incident is confirmed as a stop arm violation, the registered owner of the vehicle will receive a citation in the mail.

"The safety of our children is of the utmost importance to Dothan City Schools. In a recent study, we discovered an alarming number of traffic violations regarding passing a school bus with the stop arm engaged. This type of behavior puts the lives of our most precious assets in jeopardy,” says DCS Superintendent, Dr. Dennis Coe. “It is our hope that the implementation of the Dothan Child Safety Program will reshape driving habits to a point where our children are not in danger. Revenues from this program will also be used to expand our driver’s education program to help both educate drivers on the rules of the road, and to reduce the financial burdens of parents to insure our young drivers."

During the program's test phase in the Fall of 2022, the Child Safety Program recorded and verified 407 stop arm violations on only 20 DCS buses in only 20 days. While the cameras will be installed in phases, ultimately all 89 buses in the DCS fleet will be equipped with Child Safety Program cameras from AngelTrax.

“AngelTrax will be using the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to detect a vehicle passing a school bus while the stop arm is out. If a vehicle overtakes the bus while the stop arm is out, the system will automatically download video of the incident to our data center where our trained technicians will review the video. If the incident appears to meet the requirements for a violation under Alabama Statute, it will then be passed to a certified trained technician for confirmation. If the incident is confirmed as a violation, a citation will be issued by mail to the registered owner of the vehicle,” explained AngelTrax President and CEO Richie Howard.

“The law is very clear in the state of Alabama. It is illegal to overtake a school bus while students are loading and unloading,” he said. “Unfortunately, the law itself does not deter many people from violating the law, thus putting our students at risk of being injured or even killed. The only proven method of changing driver behavior is the issuance of a citation. A national study shows 98% of those persons receiving a citation never get a second citation. The citation fine for passing a school bus while loading and unloading is substantial. In Alabama it is $300.00. Our goal is to make our kids as safe as possible while loading and unloading from the school bus. This program will support that effort.”

According to the 2006 Code of Alabama, Section 32-5A-154, law forbids drivers from passing a stopped school - or church – bus, when the alternately flashing red lights are activated, in almost every case. Drivers must remain stopped until the bus resumes motion.

Additionally, when the school bus stops for passengers on a two-lane roadway, all traffic from both directions must stop. On a divided highway of four lanes or more with a median separation, when the school bus stops for passengers, only traffic following the school bus must stop. On a two-lane roadway with a center turning lane, or on a four-lane roadway without a median separation, when the school bus stops for passengers, all traffic from both directions must stop.

Child Safety Program, powered by AngelTrax, complies with the Alabama School Bus Safety Act (2016 Code of Alabama Title 16 Chapter 27A), and is enforcing this law in the State of Alabama as a third party company that has been in mobile video surveillance and stop arm camera systems for more than 23 years.

According to statistics from the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), 95,000 stop arm violations were reported in a single day and 17 million in a single year.

Citations from the Child Safety Program will begin on March 1, 2023. Drivers cited through the Child Safety Program will face a $300 fine for each offense. Citation recipients can visit www.childsafetyprogram.us to pay the ticket or to view high-resolution images and video of the violation. To contest a ticket, please follow the instructions provided with your citation to request a hearing.

Learn more at dothan.k12.al.us/transportation.