The school year is back underway for most Minnesotans, and that means those big yellow buses are again traversing our neighborhoods and city streets carrying precious cargo. If you see a school bus while you’re driving, make sure that you follow the rules of the road so that children can stay safe and you can avoid a costly ticket. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at the rules and penalties for passing a stopped school bus in Minnesota.
Passing A Stopped School Bus
Let’s explore what the law says about passing a stopped school bus in Minnesota:
- When a school bus is stopped on a street or highway and displays its extended stop arm signal and flashing red lights, drivers in both directions must stop at least 20 feet away from the bus.
- Drivers must wait until the stop arm signal is retracted and the red lights are no longer flashing before proceeding.
- It is illegal to pass a school bus on the right-hand, passenger-door side of the bus when it is displaying it’s prewarning flashing yellow signals.
- No passing or attempting to pass a school bus is allowed when a child is outside of the bus on the street/highway or adjacent sidewalk.
Failing to observe these rules can come with major consequences for drivers. A stop-arm violation begins as a misdemeanor offense, which is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and fines of at least $500 but not more than $1,000. If you pass a school bus on the right-hand side or while a child is outside the bus or on the sidewalk, the charge can be elevated to a gross misdemeanor charge, which is punishable by up to a year in jail and fines up to $3,000.
And before you think that you’ll be able to pass a school bus as long as there are no cops around, think again. Many school buses these days are outfitted with video cameras or recording devices in their stop arms that are activated when the sign is engaged. This allows the bus driver to capture concrete evidence of an individual passing a school bus when they should be stopped. This, combined with testimony from the bus driver or other drivers, will typically seal your fate, even if a police office did not personally witness you commit the infraction.
So follow the rules of the road this school year and help keep our children safe. We’re here to help in the event you are wrongly accused of passing a school bus, but know that if you are caught on camera passing when you shouldn’t, it’s going to be a very hard case to win. Slow down, watch for kids and drive like your kids are the ones getting on or off the bus. For help with traffic ticket defense or other criminal law matters, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
