Max Reinhart
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
Law enforcement officials in Dearborn are ready to use a new, artificial intelligence-powered tool to improve school bus safety throughout the city.
Beginning Monday, the city will enforce school bus traffic safety laws through the BusPatrol program. BusPatrol uses AI-enabled cameras affixed directly to buses to help police issue citations to drivers who fail to legally stop when buses are picking up or dropping off students.
Dearborn officials said their community is the first in Michigan to implement such a program across an entire school district.
“Our top priority is the safety of our youngest residents,” Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said during a press conference last month, when the partnership with BusPatrol was announced. “We’re implementing this now because the need is clear, the tools are proven and protecting our children cannot wait any longer.”
Under Michigan law, motorists are required to stop at least 20 feet from a school bus when its red lights are flashing. Drivers must remain stopped until the school bus resumes motion or the visual signals are no longer activated.
But motorists illegally pass school buses an estimated 2,200 times each day throughout the state, officials said.
“The reality is that police officers can’t be at every bus, every day and going forward there will be equitable, fair enforcement across the city to make our roads safer and our kids safer,” said Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin.
Every Dearborn Public Schools bus will be equipped with the technology.
Student safety has been a top concern for Dearborn officials, especially after a speeding driver struck and critically injured a 15-year-old Fordson High School student in December 2024.
The city has recently taken additional steps toward traffic safety, including installing more speed bumps, illuminated traffic signs and raised crosswalks to curb dangerous driving behaviors.
Potential violations captured through the BusPatrol program are reviewed by Dearborn police before a citation is issued, “to ensure accuracy and due process,” Hammoud said.
According to BusPatrol’s website, the program’s AI engine can assess real-time traffic conditions and “detect illegal passings from up to eight lanes away.”
Sam Olson, director of government relations and strategic partnerships at BusPatrol America, said suspected violators are provided a secure link to review the video evidence.
“The goal is not tickets,” Olson said. “The goal is prevention and safer streets for our children.”
Drivers suspected of failing to properly stop for a bus will face a $250 fine for a first offense and $500 fines for any subsequent offenses within one year.
The program is not funded through tax dollars, according to city officials. Instead, it is paid for by offenders’ fines.
Dearborn Public Schools Interim Superintendent Lamis Srour said the district’s busing system makes about 1.5 million trips to and from school each year, transporting more than 4,400 students.
Srour said BusPatrol will support bus drivers, who often face challenging, stressful situations while on the road.
“Drivers will have additional tools to help them focus on what matters most: transporting students safely,” Srour said.
