The vigilance of a school bus driver prevented a child from being hit by a dangerous driver last Thursday in Cowansville, Estrie.

The event was captured by a residence surveillance camera.

The school bus was stopped and a car was traveling in the opposite direction.

When the bus flashers started and the stop sign was lifted, the motorist did not stop, as required by law, and instead preferred to continue, traveling in the wrong direction, on the side of the bus door through which the children get off.

The grandfather of a 10-year-old child who was about to get off the bus said the driver had the presence of mind to close the door, keeping the youngster inside and thus preventing him from be hit by the car.

"It's extremely dangerous, so I don't see, there is no justification for such behavior, especially since the rules are very clear," says Marie-Soleil Cloutier, director of the Pedestrians and Urban Space Laboratory.

“We still have a death every 2-3 years of a child or teenager with a school bus,” adds Ms. Cloutier.

Contravention

The risk for passing a stationary school bus is a penalty of 9 demerit points and a $320 fine.

“The fines are not so high when you think of the possible consequences,” concludes the director of the Pedestrians and Urban Space Laboratory.

Drivers get tired of this situation, which is far from uncommon.

“It often happens that we honk but they pass the same,” reported a school bus driver interviewed by TVA.

Security projects

The American company Bus Patrol markets a smart camera system to detect cars that do not comply with the rules. She has been trying to establish herself in Quebec for more than five years.

Transport Minister François Bonnardel says he is "not against installing cameras on buses", and said last March that he wanted to go ahead with a new pilot project. So far, nothing has been done.

Regarding the incident that occurred last Thursday, the Sureté du Québec is trying to trace the offending vehicle in order to find its owner.