School bus cameras catch 25,454 cars in 5 months in Lee County

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — Newly installed cameras have caught 25,454 drivers illegally passing buses over the course of 5 months, according to the School District of Lee County.

Too often, there are close calls where students are trying to cross the street and a driver doesn't stop. Along State Road 82, 194 drivers were cited in April, an average of almost 10 cars every school day.

RELATED: Lee County School District reinvests $393K fines into student safety programs

The video caught on these school bus cameras shows students steps away from being hit by cars illegally passing buses.

"That is actually extremely disturbing," said Kristen Carney, who survived a pedestrian SUV crash. "I didn't realize the kids were gonna be right there."

Carney was hit by an SUV while walking two years ago. When she watched this video of students so close to getting hit, it was horrifying.

"That is terrifying to think of that happening to someone else. Um, yeah … That's one of my biggest fears is to have someone be hit, and it happened to me, so- Yeah…I hope for no one else has to go through that," Carney said.

While she's healed now, Carney said it's upsetting to think of a child being hit.

"Those are our school children. We wanna take care of them, and that's our future generation, and they're a vulnerable population," Carney said.

Here are the top five areas for citations in April of 2026:

194 citations - 200 block of SR 82.

183 citations - 2500 block of Hanson St.

151 citations - 800 Block of Pondella Rd.

132 citations - 2500 block of Colonial BLVD.

122 citations - 900 block of Pondella Rd.

Drivers pass buses illegally every day, and neighbors say they wish they were surprised. WINK News spoke to a woman who has grandchildren in the district, and she said drivers have been reckless for years.

She said when her son was in school, his friend was hit by a driver passing a school bus.

RELATED: Lee County drivers face hefty fines for passing stopped school buses

"It's unfortunate that people just don't care. They don't watch the speed limit. They don't care about kids getting out of school and walking," the neighbor said.

The neighbor said she thinks every bus should have a camera so people are held accountable for their reckless driving.

"Let them be $225 out of their pocket … Nothing is that important that you can't let five or six kids off a bus at a stop. So I'm all for it. Go, go Lee County," the neighbor said.

Drivers should always err on the side of caution—if you see yellow lights, slow down and stop for red lights and stop signs. For full regulations, click here.