ADDITIONAL PENALTIES FOR FAILING TO STOP FOR A SCHOOL BUS ADVANCE

Senators advanced a bill from general file March 6 that would create additional penalties for failing to stop for a school bus.
Currently, a person who fails to stop for a school bus is guilty of a Class IV misdemeanor.
Under LB1039, introduced by Bancroft Sen. Lydia Brasch, violators would be charged a $500 fine and assessed three points on their driver’s license.
“In my district, there are daily accounts of school bus stop violations which put our children at risk as they board and get off a school bus,” Brasch said. “I believe the increased penalty more appropriately represents the severity and risk associated with this traffic violation.”
A Transportation and Telecommunications Committee amendment would require drivers to decrease their speed to 25 mph when the yellow warning lights on a bus are flashing and to stop if the red lights are flashing.
At locations where the school district determines that 400 feet of clear vision in each direction is not possible, a bus could stop if a sign indicates that a school bus stop is ahead.
The amendment was adopted 30-0 and the bill advanced from general file on a 33-0 vote.