PROVIDENCE – Later this fall, when a school bus in Cumberland, R.I., comes to a stop and that red sign extends out to warn drivers to hit the brakes, motorists may notice more than just those flashing lights.
Each bus shuttling students to Cumberland public schools will be equipped with a motion-activated camera, its lens ready to capture a picture of any driver who fails to stop at the sign, according to Superintendent Philip Thornton.
Drivers who are recorded breezing past the bus could face a fine of between $250 and $500, or potential suspension of their license, as set under state law.
And in Providence, school officials have a similar plan for this school year.
With the first day of school on Sept. 3, administrators announced last week that each of the 140 buses owned by First Student — the bus contractor serving Providence Public Schools — will be outfitted with license-plate detecting technology to record drivers who skirt past stopped buses.
The district has had a similar program before, but this school year marks the first time every bus will have this kind of tech onboard, a district spokesman confirmed to the Globe on Friday.
First-time violators will be fined $250, with subsequent violations carrying up to a $500 fine, the district said.
The gadgets arrive as a growing number of cars appear to be driving around stopped school buses.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services estimates more than 251,000 illegal passings occur on a single school day across the US.
At that rate, an entire 180-day school year could bring an approximate 45.2 million violations — an increase from the estimated 43.5 million occurrences the year before, according to the association.
The estimate is based on data collected by bus drivers in 35 states and Washington, D.C., during a one-day count as part of the association’s annual survey. (Rhode Island did not participate in the survey).
“The illegal passing of stopped school buses continues to be the greatest safety danger to children,” association President Mike Stier said in a statement in July, when the latest survey results were released.
A representative for the association did not return a request for additional information on Friday.
There are also a growing number of states with laws legalizing the use of cameras to record school bus passing violations, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Approximately two dozen states have a law on the books, with 11 states signing bills into law in the last fives years, a list compiled by the conference shows.
Rhode Island was among the first few to codify the law in 2011, according to the organization. At least a handful of other school districts, besides Cumberland and Providence, have adopted the use of traffic cameras and technology on buses over the years as well, according to a 2016 report from WPRI.
In Cumberland, the high-tech upgrade to the district’s fleet of 25 buses this year comes after drivers were seen unlawfully passing buses five times in the past two to three years in town, Thornton said in an interview on Friday.
No students were harmed in those incidents, but with the availability of the new technology, Thornton said the decision to install the cameras to help deter passing drivers and keep children and teens safe just makes sense.
“My sincere hope is that this technology will curb the behavior,” Thornton said. “I think once people in Cumberland know that we do have cameras on the buses, they will think twice before they try passing a school bus.”
According to Thornton, the cameras operate similarly to those that collect highway tolls.
After a picture is taken, it is downloaded and reviewed by Cumberland police, who will determine whether the driver actually committed a violation before issuing any citation, he said.
A similar process will play out in Providence, school officials there said, as the collected video evidence will be shared with law enforcement for review, before any driver is sent a summons.
According to the district, starting on Sept. 3, violators will only receive a warning. Fines will be enforced beginning on Oct. 1.
“Providence families deserve to know their children are safe on their way to school and as they head back home, and this new school bus safety program will help ensure that,” Angélica Infante-Greene, Rhode Island’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said in a statement.
“With this initiative, every bus that serves Providence Public Schools students will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology to help promote safe driving and prevent tragedies,” Infante-Greene added. “As we head into the new school year, we ask that all drivers consider the safety of our kids and drive with caution.”
According to school officials, cameras are also being added inside each bus to monitor students onboard.
“Student safety is paramount in our efforts to educate Providence children,” schools Superintendent Javier Montañez said in a statement. “If the students feel safe in the community, then they are more likely to come to school, which is essential to promote better attendance and achieve better academic outcomes.”
Christopher Gavin can be reached at christopher.gavin@globe.com.