Drive to arrive - a double yellow line does not a divided highway make

[ohland]

Spent a few minutes at a local government office. The staffer assisting me was not fully human, -OR- they had all just received active shooter or beheading mandatory training. I have been called on the carpet a few times over the years, and the inquiry was much more human than this...

Went to get a few things at the supermarket. On the way home, I was for some silly reason reviewing the droid office. Made a left turn, checked my mirrors, got into the right hand lane (northbound on a 4 lane highway). I saw a stopped schoolbus with lights going in the outer southbound lane. To my great surprise, someone blew past the bus going south. Way not cool. BUT... in my advanced processing state, I erred. In Wisconsin, you don't need to stop for school bus lights ON A DIVIDED ROAD. Two yellow stripes are NOT a divided road.

There was a city LEO behind the bus (probably lots of folks blowing past!) and I heard him shout at me to stop... Lesson for the day, do not get wound up in trivia when driving.

The LEO was totally correct. Other than rectal-cranal inversion, I have no earthly idea on how I didn't process the scene correctly.

[Beagle333]

Two yellow stripes are NOT a divided road.

Yep. (school bus driver) 8-)

[1911cherry]

Sadly, several children died before Mississippi passed Nathans law ,making it a felony to pass a stopped bus. Never can be too careful...

[Frank46]

Where I live the school bus puts out mechanical stop signs both on the bus in front and back plus the flashing lights. You don't ever want to get hauled before the judge passing a parked school bus with the signs and lights out. $$$$. Frank

[southpaw]

I am not sure if I am understanding this correctly. Someone passed the bus going the same way as the bus and you were going the opposite way and got pulled over? Why didn't the cop pull over the one(s) that passed him then the bus?

Jerry Jr.

[ohland]

I am not sure if I am understanding this correctly. Someone passed the bus going the same way as the bus and you were going the opposite way and got pulled over? Why didn't the cop pull over the one(s) that passed him then the bus? Jerry Jr.

Was not pulled over. The LEO was stopped behind the bus and had other folks stopped behind him. Boxed in, as it were. Nobody was pulled over, most likely due to the LEO being boxed in. I have a suspicion if he was able to interdict, he would have.

Dumb luck is not my preferred way to go through life.

[jonp]

Sadly, several children died before Mississippi passed Nathans law ,making it a felony to pass a stopped bus. Never can be too careful...
Just about every law passed in a rush with someones name on it is a bad idea

[Mod42]

The reward for this type of memory loss is $350.00 in Wisconsin............Had a wife that fell into this trap a few years ago!!:evil:

[HATCH]

6 points in sc. Do it twice and kiss ur driving privilege away

[jonp]

We have had several kids hit by cars this year so far. Unless there is a physical barrier of some type dividing the road (jersey barriers, median etc) slow down and stop. It hurts nothing and could save a kids life

[searcher4851]

Excerpted from the State of Illinois "Rules of the Road":

"On a four-lane roadway where a bus is stopped in the opposite direction from which
you are traveling, you are not required to stop your vehicle but you should drive with
caution.
Your driver’s license or vehicle registration will be suspended for three months and you will
pay a minimum $150 fine if you are convicted of illegally passing a stopped school bus."

In Illinois it is illegal for a school bus to drop off children on the wrong side of a four or more lane roadway.

Here, if you stop for a school bus stopped on the other side of a four lane road, you stand a good chance of causing a rear end collision.

[DCP]

This is my 15th yr driving a school bus. People run my stop arm all the time. It’s very hard to have someone prosecuted. Only one in 15 yrs. He made the mistake of running it in front of a teacher.

A few yrs ago I had a near miss, three little ones from the same family. They were in a vacated lot when a van ran my stop arm heading right at them. I was so mad I was spiting nails. The lady jumps out of the van with2 children in it, more upset than me. She was crying and screaming oh my god my brakes went out, oh my god my brakes went out. It was an ugly site. Cops came, towed her van. Guys you don’t want to hit a child this way please stops for a school bus. By the way when I left the scene with an empty bus, I drove about 100 yards pulled over and cried like a baby.

[Freightman]

I was a school crossing guard, school bus stopped put on flashers and stop arm out , boom here comes a car never slowed down speeding anyhow. Police were working that morning got her, she was texting and speeding, and ran past the school bus and expires license and insurance. Wonder what that fine was ?

[HangFireW8]

Compliance is pretty good around my place, worse the closer to Baltimore I get. The last scofflaw I saw pass a bus illegally was a BCPD car.

[Petrol & Powder]

Just about every law passed in a rush with someones name on it is a bad idea
Kind of agree with that. Emotion overpowering logic.

As for that particular Mississippi law; If I was a juror, I'd have a hard time making someone a felon for a traffic offense. The goal is to change the behavior and prevent a tragedy. A huge fine and maybe some jail time would accomplish that without prison time and permanent label of convicted felon.

[Petrol & Powder]

I should have done my research first before responding. It is NOT a felony:

(2) (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), any person violating the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon a first conviction thereof shall be fined not less than Three Hundred Fifty Dollars ($350.00) nor more than Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00), or imprisoned for not morethan one (1) year, or both. For a second or subsequent offense, the offenses being committed within a period of five (5) years, the person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00) nor more than One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00), or imprisoned for not more than one (1) year, or both. In addition, the Commissioner of Public Safety or his duly authorized designee, after conviction for a second or subsequent offense and upon receipt of the court abstract, shall suspend the driver's license and driving privileges of the person for a period of ninety (90) days.


That's what I get for assuming without verifying.

[shaune509]

In Washington 4+lanes oncoming lanes do not need to stop, and most bus routes on 2 lane main roads do not allow the kids to cross road the bus picks up on both sides of the road. My 2 lane county road @ 10,000+ cars a day [funding problem] has many rear enders for both directions when buses are on route.
Shaune509