Unlawful Passing of School Buses in Georgia

Georgia legislators have passed multiple laws aiming to protect children entering and exiting school buses. The penalties include 6 points on your license as well as fines and possible jail time. If you have been charged with unlawfully passing a school bus, we urge you to contact our Georgia Attorneys today. 6 points can lead to an automatic suspension of your license for drivers under 21 and is a lot of points for someone over 21. Call now for a free no-obligation case evaluation.

Georgia Laws on Illegal Passing of School Buses

O.C.G.A. §40-6-163(a) outlines the duty drivers have when encountering a school bus in Georgia.. the driver of a vehicle meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus stopped on the highway shall stop before reaching such school bus when there are in operation on the school bus the visual signals as specified in Code Sections 40-8-111 and 40-8-115, and such driver shall not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or the visual signals are no longer actuated.

Basically, it is illegal for any vehicle to pass a bus that has its lights flashing and the stop signs activated. There are a couple of situations where a driver does not have to stop. These include:

• If the road is a divided highway separated by a median, drivers do not have to stop
• If the bus is on a different roadway, the driver does not have to stop.

Our Georgia Lawyers Can Help if You Have Been Charged with Unlawfully Passing a School Bus

Do not make the mistake of thinking nothing can be done to help your situation! There are always arguments we can use to defend your case. Police officers make mistakes and sometimes misunderstand the law in situations where there is a divided highway. You may have received a ticket for passing a school bus in a situation where you were not legally required to stop. Our Georgia Passing a School Bus Lawyers can help you when no actual violation occurred.

Georgia Penalty for Unlawful Passing of School Bus

Over the past years, Georgia lawmakers have increased the penalties for passing a school bus in an effort to provide more protection to children. Therefore, police officers never issue warnings for this type of violation because they have been instructed to always issue a citation.

While unlawfully passing a school bus in Georgia is charged as a misdemeanor, the consequences will still have a significant impact on your life. It can include 12 months in jail or on probation, $1000 in fines, community service, defensive driving school, and any other conditions a judge believes will correct the driver's behavior. Also, a school bus carries a fine of at least $300 for a first offense, $750 for a second offense, and $1,000 for a third offense.

As stated previously, the unlawful passing of a school bus will result in 6 points being added to the driver's license. This will result in an automatic drivers license suspension for drivers under 21 years. For a person over 21 years of age, an accumulation of 15 points or more will lead to a license suspension. 6 points is a lot of points for anyone!

In addition, we have had numerous clients through the years pulled over for unlawfully passing a school bus that were then charged with DUI. The driver is then subject to both DUI charges as well as unlawful passing of a school bus. If this has happened to you or a loved one, call our Georgia DUI Attorneys immediately. There is no time to waste because your future is on the line.

Contact Us Now

We understand that you may think passing a school bus is just a minor violation, but you would be making a big mistake. Georgia laws take passing a school bus seriously, and you are facing significant penalties. There are always defenses we can use to protect you! Call now to speak with one of our experienced Georgia Traffic Ticket Attorneys today.