Vermont House Bill H0304

Vermont 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/21/25
• Refer: 2/21/25

Caption

An act relating to traffic cameras and traffic violations for illegally passing a school bus

Impact

If enacted, H0304 would amend existing Vermont statutes that govern traffic violations, particularly those regarding school bus operations. The law would classify passing a stopped school bus as a moving violation and would facilitate the enforcement of this rule through video evidence. The bill would require school buses to be equipped with monitoring systems that capture images of vehicles violating the stop signal. By doing so, it seeks to make enforcement more efficient and less reliant on direct observations by law enforcement officers.

Summary

House Bill H0304 proposes the implementation of traffic cameras on all Types I and II school buses in Vermont to monitor and penalize motorists who illegally pass stopped school buses. The bill allows for the issuance of civil traffic violations based on images captured by these cameras during violations. The overarching goal of the bill is to enhance the safety of school children as they board or disembark from their buses, aiming to reduce the number of incidents of dangerous traffic violations around school buses.

Contention

Notably, there may be points of contention surrounding the bill regarding privacy concerns and the reliability of automated systems in issuing traffic violations. Critics could argue that the use of cameras might infringe on personal privacy or could lead to disputes over the validity of violations captured by automated monitoring. Supporters, on the other hand, may argue that the benefits of improved child safety far outweigh these concerns, emphasizing that the primary focus of the legislation is to protect students during critical boarding and disembarking times. Additionally, the bill reflects broader concerns about ongoing traffic safety issues at schools across the state.