Proposed bill to toughen penalties for those who pass stopped school busses.

[Jessiesgirl1108]

The parents of a Jones County child killed when the driver attempted to pass a parked school bus appeared in Jackson Monday. They want tougher penalties for those who pass stopped school buses to become law.

A bill moving through the legislature this year may become Nathan's Law, named for Nathan Key, a 5-year-old boy struck and killed as he crossed from a school bus to his home on Houston Road on Dec. 11, 2009.

Clutching her son's school bag, Lori Key stood along side her husband Andy as Lt. Governor Phil Bryant made a rare political promise to the press Monday.

"It is a promise personally that I will do all that I can to make certain this bill moves forward and moves forward quickly," said Bryant.

Senator Chris McDaniel is the author of Nathan's Law which would create a $500 fine for anyone caught passing a stopped flashing school bus. In addition, the driver's license would be suspended, and he or she could face up to two days in jail.

Repeat offenders would be hit with an $800 fine, license suspension and up to a year behind bars.

If injury results, the crime would automatically become a felony with at least a $5,000 fine and up to 5 years in jail.

In addition, the law would prohibit wireless devices, unless hands free, in a school zone and create a 30-foot buffer zone around a flashing school bus. A task force would also be formed as well as classroom education programs.
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More at link:
http://www.wlox.com/global/story.asp?s=11807463

[malq]

Good article. I hope it passes.
However, since you posted it in 3 things, I assume there is a stance you take and a point you wish to debate or argue. Maybe spell that out for me.

[Athena]

Incarceration associated with this offense is asinine and should be replaced by community service. We keep finding more and more reasons to incarcerate people, but we don't want to pay for more correctional facilities, and there's no evidence that increased incarceration even helps at all.

Leave victimless offenders out of jail/prison.

I agree with the rest of this legislation, though.

[Obsolete]

I agree with the concept but I think it should be a bit more specific. For instance, if someone heading the same direction as the bus, or someone on a two lane road drives past the bus heading the opposite direction then they should be subject to these penalties. If someone is on a 4 lane road, and they are traveling the opposite direction of the bus with two lanes of traffic separating them, I think there should be a bit more slack. Mainly because #1 a child shouldn't be crossing 4 lanes of traffic anyways, and #2 I just got a ticket for doing this same damn thing...although I swear the cop was smoking crack and there was no bus.

[Jessiesgirl1108]

Good article. I hope it passes.
However, since you posted it in 3 things, I assume there is a stance you take and a point you wish to debate or argue. Maybe spell that out for me.


Senator Chris McDaniel is the author of Nathan's Law which would create a $500 fine for anyone caught passing a stopped flashing school bus. In addition, the driver's license would be suspended, and he or she could face up to two days in jail.

Repeat offenders would be hit with an $800 fine, license suspension and up to a year behind bars.

If injury results, the crime would automatically become a felony with at least a $5,000 fine and up to 5 years in jail.

While I agree that there does need to be some kind of law, I think suspending a person's license and a possible 2 days in jail is a bit much for a first time offender. I think they should stick with the fines, maybe threatening repeat offenders with the 2 days in jail. If injury results, then that's a whole different case.


For instance, if someone heading the same direction as the bus, or someone on a two lane road drives past the bus heading the opposite direction then they should be subject to these penalties. If someone is on a 4 lane road, and they are traveling the opposite direction of the bus with two lanes of traffic separating them, I think there should be a bit more slack.

Obsolete, I agree with you on this. I think there are just too many different scenarios to impose one law that covers them all.