Half way stopped for school bus :(

So I did the thing I never thought I would do. I failed to stop for a school bus. I was driving with my 10 year old son who was asking me a million questions a minute, driving the speed limit listening for a medal clunking sound I just hear a minute ago. It sounded like something had fallen off my vehicle, and I was admittedly distracted. I seen the school bus, noticed there where no children in front of the bus about to cross (I was approaching from the opposite direction) and stupidly continued to drive until I was parallel with the bus. I have absolutely no idea what I was thinking and abruptly stopped when I realized what I had done. I stayed there until the stop sign was (taken in?) And a parent thanked me for stopping and did not seem angry at all. I assume he sees people just zoom past regularly. I can't even believe I did this and have felt Ill ever since.

So my question is, assuming the bus driver recorded my license plate and reported it to the police, how likely is it that I will get a ticket in the mail as the owner, as opposed to an officer coming to my home, or even worse, being issued a summons to appear and being charged as the driver? Would a witness describing my appearance be sufficient evidence? Could I claim I was not driving? I am completely okay with paying the fine as it was my mistake and I deserve the penalty. However the increase to my insurance if I was to be convicted as the driver, would be catastrophic for me as I'm a full- time student barely making ends meet.

Thank you for any help or advice you can offer.

The odds that anyone is going to take this anywhere are extremely small. You probably have a better chance of winning 649 than being charged as a driver. In the extremely unlikely chance that you are questioned about the incident, be aware and educated about your rights.

There could be a possibility if you ran the red stop sign...but if a school bus is just stopped without that stop sign sticking out you are not required to stop.

admin wrote: Tue May 15, 2018 10:50 am

There could be a possibility if you ran the red stop sign...but if a school bus is just stopped without that stop sign sticking out you are not required to stop.

I disagree - you are required to stop. The mechanical stop arm is totally irrelevant. Section 175(11)&(12) HTA have no requirement for a stop sign to be extended and, in fact, its not even mentioned. A driver's duty to stop comes from the over-head flashing signal lights.

Duty of drivers when school bus stopped

(11) Every driver or street car operator, when meeting on a highway, other than a highway with a median strip, a stopped school bus that has its overhead red signal-lights flashing, shall stop before reaching the bus and shall not proceed until the bus moves or the overhead red signal-lights have stopped flashing.

To the original poster, you could be charged in the variety of ways you described. But until that day comes, I wouldn't stress about it. Take it as an important lesson learnt.

That wouldnt be clear to me, why would I stop just because there is a parked school bus on the side of the road? Doesnt add up. Its the bus drivers duty to make sure the bus is safely stopped before also just displaying the stop sign. You can stop for no reason, I wouldnt.

It isn't just parked.....it's parked and with the flashing red lights activated.

argyll wrote: Wed May 16, 2018 3:28 am

It isn't just parked.....it's parked and with the flashing red lights activated.

Obviously. The law states ONLY if the lights are on and clearly marked. If not why would you even consider stopping, it would not make sense.

admin wrote: Wed May 16, 2018 11:58 am

Obviously. The law states ONLY if the lights are on and clearly marked. If not why would you even consider stopping, it would not make sense.

If I see a stopped school bus in or close to a school zone, I'll usually slow down in case the driver doesn't check for traffic before putting the lights on. I'd rather be able to stop if necessary.