Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation into law to require motorists to come to complete stops at least 20 feet from school buses with their red flashers and stop arm engaged when students are loading or unloading.
In effect immediately after the July 3 signing, SB 1030 states that motorists shall remain stopped until the school bus deactivates its flashers and federally required stop arm and resumes motion. Exempt from the law are motorists encountering school buses located on the other side of a road or highway with a center divider.
Additionally, the law deletes a previous provision that allowed motorists driving through intersections controlled by a traffic officer or a stop-and-go signal to pass the bus “at a reasonable and proper speed but no more than 10 miles per hour and with caution for the safety of passengers getting on or off the bus.”
Proof in a court of law of a vehicle illegally passing a school bus is also considered evidence that the registered owner was the driver at the time of the incident.
In addition to monetary fines of $100 to $500, the law allows a court to assess motorists a maximum of 100 hours of community service to be performed at a local school. A fiscal note states that revenue from civil fines will go to public libraries.
