$300 ticket for not stopping on 4 lane road for school bus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people piling on the OP are ridiculous. OP, go ahead and contest the ticket, see what happens.

Maybe you should know better, but I also know municipalities do all sort of crazy revenue schemes in the name of safety. I also know we should all be as safe as possible around school buses. See what the judge says.

Cars stopping at school buses isn't some kind of crazy revenue stream. You see the lights flashing you stop. It should be 100% automatic for every driver. Adding weird rules like "unless it's Kindergarten drop off" or "depending on what's on the other side of the street" or "unless you are confused by traffic lights" puts kids at risk. It needs to be perfectly simple. School bus lights = stop.

It's never so simple, though, and that's why people complain. On multi-lane roads in traffic, it can get really tricky to see the school bus on the opposite side, multiple lanes away, figure out if there's a median, and then come to a screeching halt because you're now right at the level of the bus and you've just decided you need to stop... only to be rear-ended by the guy behind you because he wasn't expecting you to stop.

Most people around me have received tickets for not stopping for school buses and it's always a case of highly-trafficked, multi-lane roads like this, or the intersection case a PP was mentioning - when there's a distinct risk of collision if you don't clear the bloody intersection! If it's a simple 2 lane road with a school bus, obviously everyone stops.

Op here. Omg thank you so much! I have a 3 month old and I am SO SO sleep deprived. My brain isn’t functioning properly. I don’t drive unless it’s absolutely necessary and I was headed back from preschool pickup.

You shouldn’t even be on the road, disgusting how you’re endangering the lives of children in your car and on the street.

Yeah so with this logic every sleep deprived person should stay home until the baby sleeps through the night. That doesn’t happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people piling on the OP are ridiculous. OP, go ahead and contest the ticket, see what happens.

Maybe you should know better, but I also know municipalities do all sort of crazy revenue schemes in the name of safety. I also know we should all be as safe as possible around school buses. See what the judge says.

Cars stopping at school buses isn't some kind of crazy revenue stream. You see the lights flashing you stop. It should be 100% automatic for every driver. Adding weird rules like "unless it's Kindergarten drop off" or "depending on what's on the other side of the street" or "unless you are confused by traffic lights" puts kids at risk. It needs to be perfectly simple. School bus lights = stop.

It's never so simple, though, and that's why people complain. On multi-lane roads in traffic, it can get really tricky to see the school bus on the opposite side, multiple lanes away, figure out if there's a median, and then come to a screeching halt because you're now right at the level of the bus and you've just decided you need to stop... only to be rear-ended by the guy behind you because he wasn't expecting you to stop.

Most people around me have received tickets for not stopping for school buses and it's always a case of highly-trafficked, multi-lane roads like this, or the intersection case a PP was mentioning - when there's a distinct risk of collision if you don't clear the bloody intersection! If it's a simple 2 lane road with a school bus, obviously everyone stops.

Op here. Omg thank you so much! I have a 3 month old and I am SO SO sleep deprived. My brain isn’t functioning properly. I don’t drive unless it’s absolutely necessary and I was headed back from preschool pickup.

I call BS on this. If this were true, you would just pay the fine and not be planning to go spend half a day in traffic court.

Op here. I don’t think it will take long. The township I live in is super small.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people piling on the OP are ridiculous. OP, go ahead and contest the ticket, see what happens.

Maybe you should know better, but I also know municipalities do all sort of crazy revenue schemes in the name of safety. I also know we should all be as safe as possible around school buses. See what the judge says.

Cars stopping at school buses isn't some kind of crazy revenue stream. You see the lights flashing you stop. It should be 100% automatic for every driver. Adding weird rules like "unless it's Kindergarten drop off" or "depending on what's on the other side of the street" or "unless you are confused by traffic lights" puts kids at risk. It needs to be perfectly simple. School bus lights = stop.

It's never so simple, though, and that's why people complain. On multi-lane roads in traffic, it can get really tricky to see the school bus on the opposite side, multiple lanes away, figure out if there's a median, and then come to a screeching halt because you're now right at the level of the bus and you've just decided you need to stop... only to be rear-ended by the guy behind you because he wasn't expecting you to stop.

Most people around me have received tickets for not stopping for school buses and it's always a case of highly-trafficked, multi-lane roads like this, or the intersection case a PP was mentioning - when there's a distinct risk of collision if you don't clear the bloody intersection! If it's a simple 2 lane road with a school bus, obviously everyone stops.

Op here. Omg thank you so much! I have a 3 month old and I am SO SO sleep deprived. My brain isn’t functioning properly. I don’t drive unless it’s absolutely necessary and I was headed back from preschool pickup.

It’s ridiculous to complain about the ticket and in the next breath concede you are so sleep deprived that your cognitive abilities are impaired. I have also incurred a ticket for passing a school bus on a four lane road. It hurt and I am now far more attentive. Just suck it up and realise you need to be far more careful if you are driving regularly in this state.

[Anonymous]

Op, I agree with you. It’s very easy to be focused on a turn, clearing an intersection etc and then boom there’s a bus way on the other side. Which maybe was moving or just stopped and it’s just not always a clear cut situation. But probably not worth going to court.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you see a school bus, you should be prepared to stop. Whether they need to change routes or move stops to quieter streets means nothing when the question is whether YOU should stop. Bus = foot off the gas and on the brake.

Go ahead and contest it, OP. But pls don’t waste everyone’s time pleading fatigue. That’s impaired driving. Or confusion about the lights. That’s lack of understanding of driving laws.

On second thought, just pay the fine and come here and complain about it more. It will be cheaper in the end.

And just wait till your baby is riding a bus and some idiot doesn’t stop.

Op here. I have an older child who rides the bus. Please don’t order me around. I hope one day something similar happens to you because you sound like a bi***

Then you should be even more concerned about your own lack of awareness of traffic laws and basic safety around a school bus. You sound like an idiot trying to defend your bad driving. Just pay your fine.

OK, you need to calm down instead of dumping on OP. Several of us have posted that we've had tickets too, and described situations where it's very difficult to see the bus, or identify quickly enough that it's a situation where stopping is required (because you don't just stop every time you see a school bus, you'd end up being hit by other cars around you).

OP has raised a very important subject of discussion: that sometimes school bus laws present too much of a burden on drivers for no marked safety benefit.

OP is trying to find a good excuse to take to court to contest her fine. Fatigue. Baby in the car. Confusing lights. She’s isn’t going to win with any of those arguments. If anything, the PP is saving OP from a bigger fine.

-DP

Op didn’t say she or he would give any of those reasons. She mentioned she was following a green but didn’t say the lights were “confusing”. Sounds like you just want to sh** on a new mom.

So what would be her basis for contesting the ticket? Acc to you, it would be the standard waiver of traffic laws for new moms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The people piling on the OP are ridiculous. OP, go ahead and contest the ticket, see what happens.

Maybe you should know better, but I also know municipalities do all sort of crazy revenue schemes in the name of safety. I also know we should all be as safe as possible around school buses. See what the judge says.

Cars stopping at school buses isn't some kind of crazy revenue stream. You see the lights flashing you stop. It should be 100% automatic for every driver. Adding weird rules like "unless it's Kindergarten drop off" or "depending on what's on the other side of the street" or "unless you are confused by traffic lights" puts kids at risk. It needs to be perfectly simple. School bus lights = stop.

It's never so simple, though, and that's why people complain. On multi-lane roads in traffic, it can get really tricky to see the school bus on the opposite side, multiple lanes away, figure out if there's a median, and then come to a screeching halt because you're now right at the level of the bus and you've just decided you need to stop... only to be rear-ended by the guy behind you because he wasn't expecting you to stop.

Most people around me have received tickets for not stopping for school buses and it's always a case of highly-trafficked, multi-lane roads like this, or the intersection case a PP was mentioning - when there's a distinct risk of collision if you don't clear the bloody intersection! If it's a simple 2 lane road with a school bus, obviously everyone stops.

Op here. Omg thank you so much! I have a 3 month old and I am SO SO sleep deprived. My brain isn’t functioning properly. I don’t drive unless it’s absolutely necessary and I was headed back from preschool pickup.

It’s ridiculous to complain about the ticket and in the next breath concede you are so sleep deprived that your cognitive abilities are impaired. I have also incurred a ticket for passing a school bus on a four lane road. It hurt and I am now far more attentive. Just suck it up and realise you need to be far more careful if you are driving regularly in this state.

Op is free to contest if they want. I don’t know why everyone is hell bent to tell op to pay and move on. More people need to go to the hearings so they make changes. A daycare in a busy street should have a school sign or something else in place.

[Anonymous]

Yup! I got this in Rockville leaving Target. I was 4 lanes from the bus, going the opposite direction, full in sun in my eyes, and crossed just as they were putting the sign out, which was not at an intersection. Not a single car in either direction.

They sent a video. It was ridiculous. I thought about fighting it, and sure I would have won. Apparently, the stop had just been added and isn’t near a single residence. But, I was too mad about it and had to let it go. LOL that is, until now….👿

[Anonymous]

Always stop for a school bus with flashing lights no matter what. You were wrong. Pay the fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you see a school bus, you should be prepared to stop. Whether they need to change routes or move stops to quieter streets means nothing when the question is whether YOU should stop. Bus = foot off the gas and on the brake.

Go ahead and contest it, OP. But pls don’t waste everyone’s time pleading fatigue. That’s impaired driving. Or confusion about the lights. That’s lack of understanding of driving laws.

On second thought, just pay the fine and come here and complain about it more. It will be cheaper in the end.

And just wait till your baby is riding a bus and some idiot doesn’t stop.

Op here. I have an older child who rides the bus. Please don’t order me around. I hope one day something similar happens to you because you sound like a bi***

Then you should be even more concerned about your own lack of awareness of traffic laws and basic safety around a school bus. You sound like an idiot trying to defend your bad driving. Just pay your fine.

OK, you need to calm down instead of dumping on OP. Several of us have posted that we've had tickets too, and described situations where it's very difficult to see the bus, or identify quickly enough that it's a situation where stopping is required (because you don't just stop every time you see a school bus, you'd end up being hit by other cars around you).

OP has raised a very important subject of discussion: that sometimes school bus laws present too much of a burden on drivers for no marked safety benefit.

What do you propose? Replacing one law with 20 different ones depending on scenario? That would be confusing and replace the current situation where a broad law might occasionally seem overreaching with one where mistakes are made and people are hurt because there is a multitude of laws and people get confused between them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup! I got this in Rockville leaving Target. I was 4 lanes from the bus, going the opposite direction, full in sun in my eyes, and crossed just as they were putting the sign out, which was not at an intersection. Not a single car in either direction.

They sent a video. It was ridiculous. I thought about fighting it, and sure I would have won. Apparently, the stop had just been added and isn’t near a single residence. But, I was too mad about it and had to let it go. LOL that is, until now….👿

^^ this is me, and reading thread…I never saw the bus. I didn’t know till I got the ticket.

[Anonymous]

There is one like this in Bethesda, on River Road near Little Falls Parkway. Across from the 7-11 is a big apartment building -- the only residential housing on that entire block. The driveway isn't big enough for the bus to turn into, so it stops on River Road, which is 5 lanes wide -- 2 travel lanes each way, plus a middle turn lane and no median. People get tickets there all the time. I really doubt they are intentionally ignoring the bus's stop sign, just it's difficult to notice if you're 4 lanes over and there's other traffic blocking your view. Just a poor choice for a bus stop location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you see a school bus, you should be prepared to stop. Whether they need to change routes or move stops to quieter streets means nothing when the question is whether YOU should stop. Bus = foot off the gas and on the brake.

Go ahead and contest it, OP. But pls don’t waste everyone’s time pleading fatigue. That’s impaired driving. Or confusion about the lights. That’s lack of understanding of driving laws.

On second thought, just pay the fine and come here and complain about it more. It will be cheaper in the end.

And just wait till your baby is riding a bus and some idiot doesn’t stop.

Op here. I have an older child who rides the bus. Please don’t order me around. I hope one day something similar happens to you because you sound like a bi***

Then you should be even more concerned about your own lack of awareness of traffic laws and basic safety around a school bus. You sound like an idiot trying to defend your bad driving. Just pay your fine.

OK, you need to calm down instead of dumping on OP. Several of us have posted that we've had tickets too, and described situations where it's very difficult to see the bus, or identify quickly enough that it's a situation where stopping is required (because you don't just stop every time you see a school bus, you'd end up being hit by other cars around you).

OP has raised a very important subject of discussion: that sometimes school bus laws present too much of a burden on drivers for no marked safety benefit.

OP is trying to find a good excuse to take to court to contest her fine. Fatigue. Baby in the car. Confusing lights. She’s isn’t going to win with any of those arguments. If anything, the PP is saving OP from a bigger fine.

-DP

Op didn’t say she or he would give any of those reasons. She mentioned she was following a green but didn’t say the lights were “confusing”. Sounds like you just want to sh** on a new mom.

So what would be her basis for contesting the ticket? Acc to you, it would be the standard waiver of traffic laws for new moms.

Op here. I didn’t lead with that. I mentioned I’m sleep deprived because I am very tired today and didn’t have a lot of time to write the post. There wasn’t a median but there are double yellow lines. This sort of thing has never happened to me. The bus was also a small bus which made it a little less obvious. We have lived in a handful of states and I am new to PA. The particular road has a ton of accidents especially at intersections. I lived in Miami and let’s just say people were relaxed with traffic laws but pa has more accidents I’ve noticed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yup! I got this in Rockville leaving Target. I was 4 lanes from the bus, going the opposite direction, full in sun in my eyes, and crossed just as they were putting the sign out, which was not at an intersection. Not a single car in either direction.

They sent a video. It was ridiculous. I thought about fighting it, and sure I would have won. Apparently, the stop had just been added and isn’t near a single residence. But, I was too mad about it and had to let it go. LOL that is, until now….👿

You were smart not to contest it. Four lanes from the bus without a median doesn’t matter. A new stop doesn’t matter. Near residences doesn’t matter. Not in an intersection doesn’t matter. You might have gotten some sympathy with the sun in your face but unlikely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yup! I got this in Rockville leaving Target. I was 4 lanes from the bus, going the opposite direction, full in sun in my eyes, and crossed just as they were putting the sign out, which was not at an intersection. Not a single car in either direction.

They sent a video. It was ridiculous. I thought about fighting it, and sure I would have won. Apparently, the stop had just been added and isn’t near a single residence. But, I was too mad about it and had to let it go. LOL that is, until now….👿

You were smart not to contest it. Four lanes from the bus without a median doesn’t matter. A new stop doesn’t matter. Near residences doesn’t matter. Not in an intersection doesn’t matter. You might have gotten some sympathy with the sun in your face but unlikely.

You never know until you try.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yup! I got this in Rockville leaving Target. I was 4 lanes from the bus, going the opposite direction, full in sun in my eyes, and crossed just as they were putting the sign out, which was not at an intersection. Not a single car in either direction.

They sent a video. It was ridiculous. I thought about fighting it, and sure I would have won. Apparently, the stop had just been added and isn’t near a single residence. But, I was too mad about it and had to let it go. LOL that is, until now….👿

You were smart not to contest it. Four lanes from the bus without a median doesn’t matter. A new stop doesn’t matter. Near residences doesn’t matter. Not in an intersection doesn’t matter. You might have gotten some sympathy with the sun in your face but unlikely.

The blinding sun in that direction at that time is very dangerous. I am always focused on straight ahead like that. So, no I did not look 4 lanes over because I would have had to turn my head all the way to the left, as he put out the sign when I was about a foot “behind” it. Too dangerous to have a bus stop there at that hour.