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Drivers Passing Stopped School Buses Caught in Safety Sting
WBBH-TV NBC 2 (Florida), April 6, 2016

NBC 2 and the Collier County Sheriff’s Office teamed up to crack down on drivers illegally passing stopped school buses. The first two offenses caught on camera happened within minutes of each other. “This is a widespread issue with all the buses,” said Collier schools operation manager Don DeTeso. He says there are 262 bus routes in Collier County — 524 if you count the morning and afternoon shifts. If two drivers pass stopped buses on each route, you’re looking at more than 1,000 violations every day. (WBBH-TV NBC 2 image)

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SUV Strikes Stopped School Bus
WTSP-TV CBS 10 (Florida), April 6, 2016

An SUV crashed into the rear end of a stopped school bus in Dover Wednesday morning, sending the driver and his two passengers to Tampa General Hospital. They are expected to be OK. The Florida Highway Patrol says the Buick Rendezvous was behind the bus on SR 60 when its driver failed to see the bus had stopped and read-ended it. The bus did have all its emergency equipment activated picking up children in front of The Palms at Dover neighborhood. Troopers noted there were about 115 feet of skid marks from the Buick to the back of the bus. (WTSP-TV CBS 10 image)

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Red-Light Runner Leaves Scene of Crash
WEVV-TV CBS 44 (Indiana), April 6, 2016

Authorities are looking for a man who left the scene of a red-light running crash in Evansville. The crash injured the driver of the other vehicle. She was taken to the hospital with a possible broken foot.

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City Enters Camera Enforcement Phase this Month
Daily Voice (New York), April 5, 2016

New Rochelle motorists should exercise a bit more caution when driving in the city as the city ends its probationary phase and begins the enforcement phase of its red-light camera program. (Topix.com image by Mr_Bill)

Red-Light Camera Program Launches May 1
Daily Herald (Illinois), April 5, 2016

Red-light cameras at the intersection of Route 59 and Route 19 in Streamwood will be operational beginning May 1, Streamwood police announced Tuesday. For the next 30 days, warning citations will be issued to violators caught driving through red lights.

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Pedestrian Safety Task Force Recommends Red-Light Cameras
Missourian (Missouri), April 4, 2016

A committee formed after a string of pedestrian crashes in Columbia has recommended that the city implement a zero-tolerance approach toward pedestrian safety and consider other measures, such as lower speed limits and red-light cameras. View report here. (City of Columbia image)

County Commissioners Vote in Favor of Red-Light Safety Cameras
Daily Reflector (North Carolina), April 5, 2016

Pitt County commissioners in a 5-2 vote supported a resolution asking the General Assembly to make changes that will allow the city of Greenville to implement a red-light camera program. Greenville Police Chief Mark Holtzman told the commission, “I was a little surprised by the number of traffic accidents this community has, 500 a month.”

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Judge Tosses Challenge to Chicago Red-Light Cameras
Courthouse News Service (Illinois), April 4, 2016

A class action challenging the legality of Chicago’s red-light camera system, one of several in recent years, was dismissed with prejudice by a Cook County, IL, judge. The 2012 lawsuit claimed that the cameras were illegal because they violate the Illinois Constitution and because Chicago had no authority to pass an ordinance that regulates the program. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Rita Novak said in her April 1 ruling that the localized rules make sense in this case. See related coverage from WLS-TV ABC 7.

 

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N. Carolina OKs Mailing Tickets for Illegally Passing School Buses
DelRay Patch (Virginia), April 5, 2016

Virginia lawmakers have given the green light to a provision that will help local governments enforce laws designed to keep drivers from illegally passing school buses. The new law, which will go into effect July 1, allows citations to be mailed to anyone who illegally passes a school bus. (Del Ray Patch/Falls Church City Public Schools image)

Police Fault Driver in Car-School Bus Crash
WJAC-TV NBC 6 (Pennsylvania), April 4, 2016

State Police said a car and school bus carrying 28 elementary students were involved in an accident Monday morning. According to police, the car rear-ended the bus as it was stopped with its red lights activated shortly before 9 a.m. Multiple students received minor injuries.

Girl,17, Hurt when Truck Hits School Bus
Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise (Oklahoma), March 31, 2016

A 17-year-old girl was injured in a crash involving a Caney Valley Public Schools bus on March 30. Troopers say the crash happened as the bus was “stopped at a drop-off point with the doors open, warning lights activated and stop sign out” when a 16-year-old driver struck the bus from the rear in his pickup.

 

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NHTSA @NHTSAgov  It’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month! Stay with us all month long to learn more about the dangers of … fb.me/7ZzRH1bAy

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NSC @NSCSafety  Nearly 5k pedestrians die each year. Remember, cars have bumpers people don’t #Lifesavers2016

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Poinciana Parkway Opening Phase I
WFTV-TV ABC 9 (Florida), April 6, 2016

Thousands of Poinciana drivers are anticipating the opening of the new Poinciana Parkway in a few weeks. The toll road will stretch from U.S. 17-92 and Kinny Harmon Road to Cypress Parkway. “This is a long-awaited and desperately needed road,” Atlee Mercer, chairman of the Osceola County Expressway Authority, said. (WFTV-TV ABC 9 image)

1st All-Electronic Tolling Roadway in Illinois Nearly Ready
Daily Herald, April 4, 2016

Tolling equipment installation is nearly finished along Route 390, preparing the roadway to become Illinois Tollway’s first all-electronic roadway in the system, meaning no buckets and no human collectors. For the record, Route 390 is free, but tolls start this summer between Lake Street and I-290.

All-Electronic Tolling on Thruway in Rockland
Hudson Valley News Network (New York), April 1, 2016

According to the NYS Thruway Authority, the new All-Electronic Tolling gantry of the I-87/287 Thruway in Rockland County will go ‘live’ April 23. It will temporarily replace the Tarrytown toll plaza. For customers without an E-ZPass account, there is another option called “Tolls by Mail.”

Toll Trips on Pace to Double in Next 10 Years
ITS International, April 1, 2016

2015 was a record-breaking year for toll road, bridge and tunnel usage according to a new analysis report from the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association. The National Toll Facilities Usage Analysis found that drivers’ use of toll roads increased by 7 percent between 2014 and 2015, a record-breaking rate of growth that puts tolling usage on pace to double in less than 10 years.

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Growth in Toll Traffic Outpaces Regular Roads
USA Today, March 31, 2016

With gas prices low, motorists seem keen to drive and to travel on less congested toll roads even if they cost a little more, according to an industry analysis of Transportation Department statistics obtained by USA TODAY.

 

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Commentary: Downtown Sacramento Hosts Daily Demolition Derby
The Sacramento Bee (California), April 2, 2016 

While downtown Sacramento seems sedate with its lovely tree canopy, strolling state workers and low-key retail shops, it is also host to a daily demolition derby. Every single day when I’m driving downtown, I witness numerous moving violations ranging from rolling stops, no-signal turns, running red lights, and stoned, drunken, helmetless cyclists going the wrong way on one-way streets. The general traffic chaos is reminiscent of 1960s films of Rome or Saigon.

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Editorial: Red-Light Cameras Needed in Greenville
Daily Reflector (North Carolina), April 7, 2016

The Pitt County School Board on Monday tabled further action on a resolution approved by the Board of Commissioners for a funding request from the state for a red-light camera system for the city of Greenville until public input is gathered. The system is needed and should be strongly supported.

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Letter to the Editor: Alarming Disregard for Traffic Rules
The Bismarck Tribune (North Dakota), April 4, 2016

I live on Eighth Avenue Southeast and this is directed to all of those living south of 19th Street Southeast and west of Eighth Avenue Southeast in Mandan. It is quite obvious the 25-mph speed limit signs mean absolutely nothing to you.

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“Children can get killed, and none of us want that.”
Terry Smith, Sergeant with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, on vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses
WBBH-TV NBC 2 (Florida), April 6, 2016