Ticketed for Passing A School Bus
Joe Public is an 18 year old senior in high school. Joe is running late for school and gets caught behind a school bus on his drive to school. The bus is making a lot of stops to pick up children on the way to school. The bus is stopped and the stop sign on the side of the bus is extended. Joe checks both ways to see if any children are getting on the bus. He does not see anyone so he passes the bus. Joe also did not see the officer behind him. Joe is stopped and given a ticket for passing a school bus. Joe could receive a fine of up to $1,000.
Texas Transportation Code 545.066: Passing A School Bus
An operator on a highway, when approaching from either direction a school bus stopped on the highway to receive or discharge a student:
- will stop before reaching the school bus when the bus is operating a visual signal; and
- may not proceed until:
(i) the bus resumes motion;
(ii) bus operator signals to proceed;
(iii) no visual sign is activated.
A driver is not required to stop if the driver is on a highway having separate roads which are divided by intervening space on which operation of a vehicle is not permitted. A highway is not considered to have separate roadways if the highway is only separated by a left turn lane.
An offense is a Class C misdemeanor with a fine between $200 to $1,000. If a person has been convicted of this offense before, the court may order his driver’s license suspended for up to 180 days.
