DEARBORN — In a first-of-its-kind initiative in Michigan, Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud announced the launch of a smart technology program aimed at enhancing school bus safety and protecting students from drivers who violate traffic laws.

The initiative was unveiled during a joint press conference attended by city and education officials, including Dearborn Public Schools Interim Superintendent Lamis Srour, Police Chief Issa Shahin and State Rep. Alabas Farhat, as well as representatives from BusPatrol, the company that will equip school buses with the latest public safety technology.

Dearborn Public Schools transport thousands of students daily using a fleet of more than 100 school buses. Under the new program, BusPatrol will install advanced AI-powered surveillance cameras on all sides of each bus to detect and document violations by drivers who ignore red stop signals while students are boarding or exiting.

Official ticketing will begin on Jan. 19 and drivers who fail to stop for a bus with its red lights flashing will face a $250 fine for a first offense, and $500 for any subsequent offenses within a one-year period.

The program will be accompanied by a public awareness campaign that began on December 15, during which violators will receive warnings rather than fines through January 19. After that date, drivers will face a $250 fine for a first offense and $500 for any additional violation within one year.

Dearborn police will issue citations based on footage captured by the cameras installed on school buses. Michigan law requires drivers in both directions to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when its red warning lights are activated and the stop arm is extended. Drivers must remain stopped until the bus resumes motion or the warning lights are turned off.

According to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, more than 2,200 drivers illegally pass school buses each day in Michigan, amounting to more than 400,000 violations annually that place students’ lives at risk.

Under legislation signed by Gov. Whitmer last year and taking effect this past April, Dearborn will become the first city in the state whose police department issues remote citations to drivers who pass stopped school buses, based on camera evidence captured directly from the buses.

Speaking at the press conference held Monday to announce the initiative, Hammoud said he was proud to launch Michigan’s first comprehensive school bus protection program as part of his administration’s broader public safety strategy. He described the initiative as a response to a “shocking number of school bus-related traffic violations.”

Hammoud said that the smart cameras installed on stop arms will serve as both a deterrent and a monitoring tool to help us prevent dangerous driving and make our roads safer, noting that the program will be funded through traffic fines collected from violators, “without placing any additional financial burden on the city, residents or the school district.”

Hammoud has intensified efforts to address reckless driving in Dearborn since taking office in 2021.

“Our goal is simple: prevent dangerous driving and make our roads safer,” he added. “This program is about changing behavior and sending a clear message: In Dearborn, we stop for school buses — every time.”

Srour emphasized that school buses are not just a mode of transportation, but an integral part of our educational environment that deserves the same level of care, oversight and protection. She noted that the district’s buses transport more than 4,400 students daily, totaling over 1.5 million student trips annually.

“We consider the school bus an extension of our school grounds, and it deserves the same level of care, oversight and protection,” she said.

Srour said the new technology will provide critical support to bus drivers who face daily challenges on the road.

“With this smart technology, our drivers will have additional tools that allow them to focus on what matters most — safely transporting students,” she said, adding that Dearborn has long been a leader in safety measures.

In the early 1990s, Dearborn Public Schools required all bus passengers to wear seat belts before it became a statewide or national requirement.

Sam Olson, director of government relations and strategic partnerships at BusPatrol America, described the program’s launch in Dearborn as a “milestone in Michigan’s history”, calling it the state’s first fully integrated school bus safety initiative, made possible through a unique partnership between city leadership, the school district and law enforcement.

“These efforts only succeed when city leaders, schools and police are willing to work together and focus on what truly matters — student safety,” Olson said, emphasizing that the program’s ultimate goal is education and behavior change, not merely issuing citations.

Olson noted that in communities where the system has been implemented, only one in 10 drivers cited for illegally passing a school bus reoffends.

He stressed that BusPatrol’s role is strictly technological, with all enforcement decisions remaining in the hands of police officers who review footage and make fair determinations.

Farhat urged other cities to follow Dearborn’s example in addressing reckless driving and the dangers posed by passing stopped school buses. He emphasized that the ultimate goal of the program is not revenue generation, but achieving “zero violations.”

Farhat acknowledged that he was initially skeptical of the legislation authorizing such programs, but changed his position after reviewing its positive results in other communities nationwide.

“We worked on this legislation, and frankly, I wasn’t fully convinced when we first voted on it,” he said. “But seeing it implemented, and seeing this level of local collaboration with real community input, made me realize this was the right decision for our community and for the entire state.”

Farhat also praised the Dearborn Police Department for strengthening traffic enforcement, noting that officers have issued the highest number of traffic citations in the city’s history in recent months, a development he described as evidence of the department’s commitment to public safety and accountability.

“Our families deserve to know their children are safe walking to and from buses,” Shahin said. “This program is about changing driver behavior and keeping our kids safer.”

He stressed that the new program is designed to change driver behavior and protect students.