This bill amends New Jersey law to implement school bus monitoring systems designed to enhance the safety of children during school bus operations. It mandates that drivers must stop for school buses that are discharging or receiving children or individuals with developmental disabilities, and establishes penalties for violations. A significant aspect of the bill is the introduction of a civil penalty of $300 for violations captured by these monitoring systems, which will not affect the driver's record or insurance eligibility. Additionally, it creates a rebuttable presumption that the registered owner of the vehicle is the operator at the time of the violation, streamlining the enforcement process.

The bill also allows municipalities and school districts to contract with private vendors for the installation and maintenance of these monitoring systems, which must capture high-resolution images and video of violations. It specifies that recorded images serve as sufficient evidence in administrative hearings and outlines the process for issuing notices of liability to vehicle owners. Furthermore, it ensures that recorded images are not public records and mandates their purging after a designated period to protect privacy. The penalties for violations are structured to increase with subsequent offenses, and the bill includes provisions for distributing collected fines to support safety programs in municipalities and school districts.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 39:4-128.1