North Carolina motorists could soon face a tougher penalty if the driver passes a stopped school bus on the road and strikes a passenger who dies after getting off the vehicle.
     
Senate judiciary committee approved Tuesday a measure designed to let school districts use cameras and recording devices to collect evidence designed to prove that someone broke the law passing a stopped school bus.
     
The committee approved the bill and an amendment making a motorist guilty of a felony for striking a passenger who dies. The offender could now receive active jail time if the discharged passenger dies. The current law allows for community service as a punishment and doesn't differentiate if the passenger is killed.
     
The measure now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee.