Personal Injury Law

For Kids? Sake, Stop for School Buses

By Jim Reed

There’s a crime that happens 50,00o a day in New York State. It occurs  just because drivers aren’t paying attention, or they are in a hurry and think they can get away with it.

The crime is passing a stopped school bus.

This is important. As a New York and Pennsylvania personal injury attorney, I have personally handled three cases for little kids who were badly hurt because of drivers passing stopped school buses.

State law requires motorists to stop for a school bus that is stopped and has its red lights flashing. That means kids are getting on or off the bus. Cars on the road should not be moving and paused at a safe distance from the bus. Tickets for violating this law can cost motorists from $250 to $1,000 (if the safety of children wasn’t enough incentive to obey the law!).

About “Operation Safe Stop”

The Operation Safe Stop campaign was a recent effort by New York State law enforcement agencies and Governor Patterson’s Traffic Safety Committee to really crack down on drivers who violate this simple, straightforward rule.

The Associated Press recently reported on Operation Safe Stop and some of the methods officials used to catch more lawbreakers:

• Extra patrols in school zones.
• Law enforcement officers follow school buses on their routes.
• License plate reading equipment in some school districts that will record violator’s license plate numbers.

Some drivers  must believe that passing a school bus is a minor indiscretion. How else could this happen 50,00o times a year in our state?

Not stopping for a school bus is a crime, even if it doesn’t result in an accident every time someone gets away with it. Too often for my taste, there is a young victim.

Thanks for reading,

Jim
_________________________________________
James B. Reed, Esq.
Personal Injury & Malpractice Attorney
Ziff Law Firm, LLP
303 William St., Elmira, NY 14902
Tel. (607) 733-8866 Fax. (607) 732-6062
Toll Free 1-800-943-3529
mailto:jreed@zifflaw.com http://www.zifflaw.com

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Full post as published by New York Injury Law Blog on April 27, 2009 (boomark / email).