Addy’s Law, named after 8-year-old Adalynn Peirce, requires Georgia school districts to reconsider bus routes that require students to cross when the posted speed limit is 40 miles per hour or higher.
Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 409 into law on Tuesday after it unanimously passed the House in February and the Senate last month. Adalynn Peirce was struck and killed by an illegally passing vehicle while attempting to board her school bus in February. The motorist, 25-year-old Kaylee Andre, reportedly drove past the school bus with its stop arm out, hitting and injuring Peirce. The girl died from her injuries two days later in the hospital.
A petition at Change.org urged the creation of Addy’s Law to end the practice of requiring some students to cross the street to board their bus. The petition to the U.S. Department of Transportation obtained 20,612 signatures.
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The law also increases penalties for drivers who pass a stopped school bus when children are loading or unloading.
Illegally passing a stopped school bus is now classified as a high and aggravated misdemeanor, resulting in a fine of no less than $1,000,12 months in jail, or both.
