BILL NUMBER: S10694
SPONSOR: HELMING
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to increasing
the penalties for passing a school bus with its red lights illuminated
indicating that it is picking up or discharging students
 
PURPOSE:
Increases the penalties for passing a school bus with its red lights
illuminated indicating that it is picking up or discharging students.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
This legislation would amend subdivision (c) of section 1174 of the
Vehicle and Traffic Law by increasing the fine amounts associated with
passing a stopped school bus with its red lights illuminated.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Overtaking a school bus exacts a heightened and unconscionable threat to
the lives of millions of New York children who ride the bus each day.
New York State needs to set a precedent of zero tolerance for such law
breakers and ensure that our children's safety is put at the forefront
of our state's agenda. Overtaking a school bus place many vulnerable
lives at risk, and those who break this law should be stopped and
punished in way that reflects the severity of the crime.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

Statutes affected:
S10694: 1174 vehicle and traffic law