SPRING GROVE, Pa. — Michelle Stonesifer drives bus 24 for Spring Grove Area School District and has been on the job for four years.
"It's truly is the most important job I've ever had.”
It's also one of the most frustrating.
“I get so angry at times because there are people who just, they zoom right past," Stonesifer said. "There's no regard for anything. It's all about them."
Krise Transportation installed cameras on every bus last school year.
"As soon as they break this plane that camera catches the license plate," Stonesifer said pointing to one of the units on the exterior of her bus. "Then they get the violation."
They’re cracking down on dangerous driving.
"We've been in the school year for two months, and I have already given out 22 tickets from my bus alone," Stonesifer said. "It's ridiculous."
The system helps paint a better picture for the Spring Grove Area School District.
"It really gave us a good overview of how widespread the issue is," Spring Grove Area School District Resource Officer Matt Chetaitis.
He says in its first full year, the district recorded more than 300 violations to the tune of $300 each.
"When a violation occurs, all they have to do is simply hit a button," Chetaitis said. "They're not looking around trying to figure out hey, where exactly am I at what intersection? What stop? Where's the vehicle, what does the driver look like, it takes the guesswork out of it."
With photos and video capturing all the data, it's a huge burden off the chest of drivers.
"There was so much information that they had to collect, write a document, send it to us, and then have us approve it," Chetaitis said. "And a lot of the times it was just a he said she said issue going to the local magistrate."
Oftentimes, this left many instances unreported.
"You had to report them, you had to go to court for them, and oftentimes, it just wasn't worth it," Stonesifer said. "But once they put those cameras on the bus, it's a no-brainer. As soon as your amber lights come on, they start filming."
New legislation in the Pa. General Assembly also hopes to curb violations.
The current requirement for cars to stop when a bus has its signals out is 10 feet. But a new bill passed by the state senate would extend that to 15 feet. It also increases penalties for repeat offenders of the school bus-stopping law.
Michelle says the new tool gives her peace of mind.
“I have their lives in my hands," she said. "This system right here is saving lives. This is saving children's lives."