AG: Suffolk school bus drivers rack up nearly 1,500 red-light tickets

<p>Nine school bus companies in Suffolk County have been issued about 1,500 red-light camera tickets in the last three years, according to an investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.</p>

News 12 Staff

Oct 17, 2017, 9:56 PM

Updated 2,594 days ago

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Nine school bus companies in Suffolk County have been issued about 1,500 red-light camera tickets in the last three years, according to an investigation by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. 
He also said that bus companies are not required to report those tickets to the Department of Motor Vehicles. 
"The statute governing school bus safety and reporting requirements has never been updated to take account of the widespread use of red-light cameras," said Schneiderman. "A driver could theoretically rack up dozens of red-light tickets and never lose their license."
The attorney general called for that loophole to be closed by proposing several changes to state law. He says school bus companies should be required to keep copies of all red-light camera tickets received by their drivers. 
Schneiderman also says companies should consider those tickets when doing annual driver assessments. He says he wants to punish drivers who get three red-light camera violations by disqualifying them from driving for a one-year period.
The school bus study was conducted only in Westchester and Suffolk counties, but the attorney general says he believes the problem to be rampant across the state.