Drivers choosing to disregard the flashing red lights and stop sign on school buses in the Hanover School Division may now be caught on camera.

Director of Transportation Robert Warkentin says there are interior and exterior cameras, making a total of six cameras on board each bus. Warkentin says two of the four interior cameras are set to monitor student behaviours, while the third is set to watch the front door and the fourth looks out the front windshield.

HSD director of transportation Robert Warkentin"Hanover School Division has really good kids and good drivers," notes Warkentin. "So, there's not a lot of things we want to capture. We really want the driver to be focused on driving the bus and being in traffic and all the distractions of the road, and not to worry as much about what's going on behind them."

He notes, if an incident does occur on the bus, the transportation office is able to pull the video, which also records audio, and take a closer look at what happened.

Along with four interior cameras, Warkentin says there are two exterior cameras to catch people who chose to disregard the flashing red lights and stop sign during student drop-off and pick-up.

"It's an all-too-common occurrence," notes Warkentin. "Sometimes people don't recognize it or they're distracted and you hear all the excuses. At the end of the day, when the doors open and the red lights come on, a student is getting on or off that bus. So, we want to be extra cautious and careful around the bus."

He adds if a driver chooses to violate the rules of the road, the camera footage is able to be submitted into the RCMP where their vehicle description and license plate number is clearly identifiable.

Warkentin says the largest concern when drivers violate the flashing lights and stop sign is student safety. Currently, there are five buses in the division with cameras installed, he adds he hopes to see 50 of the 86 buses equipt with cameras by the end of June next year.