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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The law on stopping for a school bus is crystal clear. IMO the penalty should be the same as DUI because you are selfishly endangering children and shouldn’t have a license.

Pay the fine and be grateful it’s so low.

Children aren’t getting dropped off across the street at the fire department. They were going to DAYCARE at 11:53 am in the morning. Most likely right after half day kindergarten. There should be some exceptions when they know children won’t be crossing the street.

There should not be any exceptions. Children, especially children that young, are unpredictable.

Op here. I think it was also the traffic lights that also made it confusing because I just had a green light and turned the corner. I think I was in the front of the line. I don’t think I’ve ever came across a school bus on a 4 lane road. I’ve always stopped obviously on 2 land roads.

You need to stop whenever you see a school bus stopped with its stop sign. You know what a stop sign means I assume? Stop at it. If there is a physical median between you and the bus - like, you know, a grassy area- you can consider yourself on a different road than the bus. Otherwise, you stop. It’s so easy. I’m surprised you haven’t been ticketed before because you deserve to be.

It could be hard when it’s 4 lanes and a bunch of cars behind them. Don’t be so dense. Not always clear cut.

[Anonymous]

You should have stopped. They followed the rules by writing you a ticket. Pay the fine. Done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The law on stopping for a school bus is crystal clear. IMO the penalty should be the same as DUI because you are selfishly endangering children and shouldn’t have a license.

Pay the fine and be grateful it’s so low.

Children aren’t getting dropped off across the street at the fire department. They were going to DAYCARE at 11:53 am in the morning. Most likely right after half day kindergarten. There should be some exceptions when they know children won’t be crossing the street.

There should not be any exceptions. Children, especially children that young, are unpredictable.

Op here. I think it was also the traffic lights that also made it confusing because I just had a green light and turned the corner. I think I was in the front of the line. I don’t think I’ve ever came across a school bus on a 4 lane road. I’ve always stopped obviously on 2 land roads.

You need to stop whenever you see a school bus stopped with its stop sign. You know what a stop sign means I assume? Stop at it. If there is a physical median between you and the bus - like, you know, a grassy area- you can consider yourself on a different road than the bus. Otherwise, you stop. It’s so easy. I’m surprised you haven’t been ticketed before because you deserve to be.

It could be hard when it’s 4 lanes and a bunch of cars behind them. Don’t be so dense. Not always clear cut.

This. No kids are crossing 4 lanes of traffic and buses clear on the other side of a 4 lane road, immediate following a turn are not obvious. OP wasn’t reckless or blatantly ignoring the bus stop sign, nor are kids even allowed to cross. While yes, still illegal, I do think odds are in her favor for a reduction or maybe online driving course but no points. Courts reduce tickets all the time. Always a chance officer won’t show and it gets dismissed- best case

[Anonymous]

Pls contest it, OP, and report back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pls contest it, OP, and report back.

It was a camera ticket. Does this mean the officer still needs to show up?

[Anonymous]

This is a fair ticket. Every lane needs to stop. I once got one of these tickets in a similar situation. I was a couple lanes away and didn’t even see the bus on a congested road. But it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pls contest it, OP, and report back.

It was a camera ticket. Does this mean the officer still needs to show up?

Still looking for excuses, OP? No, if it was a camera ticket, no officer needs to show up. Won’t be able to get out of it that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The law on stopping for a school bus is crystal clear. IMO the penalty should be the same as DUI because you are selfishly endangering children and shouldn’t have a license.

Pay the fine and be grateful it’s so low.

Children aren’t getting dropped off across the street at the fire department. They were going to DAYCARE at 11:53 am in the morning. Most likely right after half day kindergarten. There should be some exceptions when they know children won’t be crossing the street.

There should not be any exceptions. Children, especially children that young, are unpredictable.

Op here. I think it was also the traffic lights that also made it confusing because I just had a green light and turned the corner. I think I was in the front of the line. I don’t think I’ve ever came across a school bus on a 4 lane road. I’ve always stopped obviously on 2 land roads.

You need to stop whenever you see a school bus stopped with its stop sign. You know what a stop sign means I assume? Stop at it. If there is a physical median between you and the bus - like, you know, a grassy area- you can consider yourself on a different road than the bus. Otherwise, you stop. It’s so easy. I’m surprised you haven’t been ticketed before because you deserve to be.

It could be hard when it’s 4 lanes and a bunch of cars behind them. Don’t be so dense. Not always clear cut.

No, it’s actually incredibly easy. School buses have flashing lights and stop signs. They can’t make it any easier for you unless they also install sirens. Pay attention to the road and you will not miss a giant yellow bus with lights flashing like crazy and two giant red stop signs sticking out of their sides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The law on stopping for a school bus is crystal clear. IMO the penalty should be the same as DUI because you are selfishly endangering children and shouldn’t have a license.

Pay the fine and be grateful it’s so low.

Children aren’t getting dropped off across the street at the fire department. They were going to DAYCARE at 11:53 am in the morning. Most likely right after half day kindergarten. There should be some exceptions when they know children won’t be crossing the street.

There should not be any exceptions. Children, especially children that young, are unpredictable.

Op here. I think it was also the traffic lights that also made it confusing because I just had a green light and turned the corner. I think I was in the front of the line. I don’t think I’ve ever came across a school bus on a 4 lane road. I’ve always stopped obviously on 2 land roads.

You need to stop whenever you see a school bus stopped with its stop sign. You know what a stop sign means I assume? Stop at it. If there is a physical median between you and the bus - like, you know, a grassy area- you can consider yourself on a different road than the bus. Otherwise, you stop. It’s so easy. I’m surprised you haven’t been ticketed before because you deserve to be.

It could be hard when it’s 4 lanes and a bunch of cars behind them. Don’t be so dense. Not always clear cut.

No, it’s actually incredibly easy. School buses have flashing lights and stop signs. They can’t make it any easier for you unless they also install sirens. Pay attention to the road and you will not miss a giant yellow bus with lights flashing like crazy and two giant red stop signs sticking out of their sides.

Yes, this. It is clear cut. School bus with stop sign extended means stop unless you are on other side of divided road. This is drivers ED 101.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should have stopped. They followed the rules by writing you a ticket. Pay the fine. Done.

+1

And please always stop for buses! (WTF?)

[Anonymous]

Some of the excuses and rationalizing here are shocking. Basically people are saying that they can't be expected to stop for or see a bus because they are inattentive, distracted, the sun is in their eyes, they didn't know the rules, etc. Really?

Guess what? The moments you are inattentive, distracted, or can't see, are exactly the moments where you hit something or someone. Which is why these laws exist and which is why the privilege of having a driver's license assumes that you will be paying attention and able to see where you're going and what's around you, and that you know the rules of the road. Now, we all know reality is different and no one's perfect. But that's why when you fall down, you pay the ticket. Not continue to make a litany of excuses which just sound like case studies for bad driving.

The post with the excuse about the sun being in your eyes and not seeing the bus on Rockville Pike is beyond ridiculous. If you can't see where you're going and what's around you, why the heck are you continuing to press the accelerator? You didn't see the bus, what else might you not have seen? I've had plenty of moments of bad driving myself, but when it happens, I'm embarrassed and try to acknowledge that it's no one's fault but my own and that if something bad had happened, a litany of excuses and apologies would not have undone that thing or gotten me out of the consequences. Come on. If you're confused about the rules with a stopped bus, why wouldn't you just play it safe and stop?

[Anonymous]

this is practically a strict liability ticket -- I've never seen a judge reduce a charge for failure to stop for a school bus with flashing lights, caught on camera. Better recourse is to go to the next board meeting of your small town and to the preschool and get their bus stop changed. We'll see if they agree and prefer to have preschoolers walk a block along the 4 lane road so you won't get a ticket for failure to see the bus with flashing lights 4 lanes over, after making a turn, rushing for the light, with an infant in the car, because you were sleep deprived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some of the excuses and rationalizing here are shocking. Basically people are saying that they can't be expected to stop for or see a bus because they are inattentive, distracted, the sun is in their eyes, they didn't know the rules, etc. Really?

Guess what? The moments you are inattentive, distracted, or can't see, are exactly the moments where you hit something or someone. Which is why these laws exist and which is why the privilege of having a driver's license assumes that you will be paying attention and able to see where you're going and what's around you, and that you know the rules of the road. Now, we all know reality is different and no one's perfect. But that's why when you fall down, you pay the ticket. Not continue to make a litany of excuses which just sound like case studies for bad driving.

The post with the excuse about the sun being in your eyes and not seeing the bus on Rockville Pike is beyond ridiculous. If you can't see where you're going and what's around you, why the heck are you continuing to press the accelerator? You didn't see the bus, what else might you not have seen? I've had plenty of moments of bad driving myself, but when it happens, I'm embarrassed and try to acknowledge that it's no one's fault but my own and that if something bad had happened, a litany of excuses and apologies would not have undone that thing or gotten me out of the consequences. Come on. If you're confused about the rules with a stopped bus, why wouldn't you just play it safe and stop?

Sure. Let's see what you think when you get one. Because if you drive during bus stopping time, especially if you use unfamiliar roads, I guarantee you'll get a ticket one day.

I follow the rules of the road, I don't look at my phone, I don't talk to passengers, etc. And yet one day I got a ticket for passing a school bus, because I thought there was a median on a multi-lane road and it so happens that the area where the bus had stopped had no median (and then further along the road, the median started back up again).

My mistake, of course. But a VERY easy mistake to make. Don't come at me with your judgment. I paid, but I think there are many people like me, good drivers, who get caught in what is essentially a nice little money-making operation for municipalities.

*AND MY KIDS TOOK THE BUS TO SCHOOL*. I still think some school bus rules are completely over the top.

[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.

And then in addition to the $250 you’d have owed court costs. It’s not free to contest a ticket in MD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some of the excuses and rationalizing here are shocking. Basically people are saying that they can't be expected to stop for or see a bus because they are inattentive, distracted, the sun is in their eyes, they didn't know the rules, etc. Really?

Guess what? The moments you are inattentive, distracted, or can't see, are exactly the moments where you hit something or someone. Which is why these laws exist and which is why the privilege of having a driver's license assumes that you will be paying attention and able to see where you're going and what's around you, and that you know the rules of the road. Now, we all know reality is different and no one's perfect. But that's why when you fall down, you pay the ticket. Not continue to make a litany of excuses which just sound like case studies for bad driving.

The post with the excuse about the sun being in your eyes and not seeing the bus on Rockville Pike is beyond ridiculous. If you can't see where you're going and what's around you, why the heck are you continuing to press the accelerator? You didn't see the bus, what else might you not have seen? I've had plenty of moments of bad driving myself, but when it happens, I'm embarrassed and try to acknowledge that it's no one's fault but my own and that if something bad had happened, a litany of excuses and apologies would not have undone that thing or gotten me out of the consequences. Come on. If you're confused about the rules with a stopped bus, why wouldn't you just play it safe and stop?

Sure. Let's see what you think when you get one. Because if you drive during bus stopping time, especially if you use unfamiliar roads, I guarantee you'll get a ticket one day.

I follow the rules of the road, I don't look at my phone, I don't talk to passengers, etc. And yet one day I got a ticket for passing a school bus, because I thought there was a median on a multi-lane road and it so happens that the area where the bus had stopped had no median (and then further along the road, the median started back up again).

My mistake, of course. But a VERY easy mistake to make. Don't come at me with your judgment. I paid, but I think there are many people like me, good drivers, who get caught in what is essentially a nice little money-making operation for municipalities.

*AND MY KIDS TOOK THE BUS TO SCHOOL*. I still think some school bus rules are completely over the top.

DP

Are you saying the rules are rigged so the govt can make money off of good drivers just caught in a trap camouflaged to look like a school bus with flashing lights and a stop sign? A large bright orange bus? Traveling, as you say, during bus stopping time?