Garden of Eden Escorts

A serious traffic ticket question

A

adickson

Member
Jan 16, 2009
451
0
16
I recently got a traffic ticket for failing to stop for the school bus. It is my first ticket ever (20+ yrs) and it is a $500 fine plus 6 merit points deduction. When I pass the bus, the school bus was still in the middle lane and pulling over to the side (right lane to stop) and the light was flashing. There's no stop sign when I passed the bus as it was still moving. The cop said the flash means the stop sign and I should have stop right away (none of the cars on the other side stop btw). The bus driver probably flashed too early and I thought the flash was more of the yellow light and the actual stop sign means really stop. I will go to court and fight the charges.

Have anyone got similar ticket? How should I explain to the judge? Should I hire a traffic lawyer for this since it is a serious offence? Any advice and suggestion on what to do is greatly appreciated!

Btw, please drive carefully as it is Halloween and lot of little ghost and goblins running around for treats! Happy Halloween and hobbying everyone!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
this has happened to me and it's very frustrating. Here you are driving aware, you see the lights on the bus go on, you start to brake as he passes you still doing about 40 kph.

I would fight it, explain t the court what happened and at the very least tell them your up for the fine but you should not loose 6 points because the bus driver hit the switch early.
 
skiierman said:
this has happened to me and it's very frustrating. Here you are driving aware, you see the lights on the bus go on, you start to brake as he passes you still doing about 40 kph.

I would fight it, explain t the court what happened and at the very least tell them your up for the fine but you should not loose 6 points because the bus driver hit the switch early.
Click to expand...

How much did you end up paying? I don't mind paying but the points would probably jack up my insurance premium...thnx!
 
you will need to get proffesional help, I am not sure what the HTA says about the bus driver putting lights on but he/she could be in the wrong. The other question would be could you safely stop in the situation.
 
landscaper said:
you will need to get proffesional help, I am not sure what the HTA says about the bus driver putting lights on but he/she could be in the wrong. The other question would be could you safely stop in the situation.
Click to expand...

I didn't know I could have stop safely..as I was going at 60k...I m not sure if the bus driver was wrong but he's only human. Sometime, they flash after they stop and sometime before...I am thinking of getting professional help. Do you know any good ones I can try?
 
Those school buses are SO fuckin' annoying, good luck Ad.
 
What is it with people who break the HTA and then want advice on how to get off?

The rules state that YOU MUST STOP WHEN THE SCHOOL BUS LIGHTS ARE FLASHING!!! End of story, no excuses, no reasons, no nothing.

You should have stopped PERIOD. I mean christ, those are kids on that bus......I mean really, you (the op) probably think it's ok to blast through a crosswalk as long as the pedestrian isn't directly in your path? You probably think it's ok to run a red if there isn't any cross traffic, you probably also think it's ok to speed through a school zone after 3 pm?

You're lucky I'm not a JOP. If you showed up in MY court I'd double the fine for wasting my and the court's time.....
 
The flashing lights on the school bus MUST be obeyed. The stop sign that pops out is not on every bus - if that is what you are waiting for, you are wrong. Bus drivers will start the lights flashing while they are still moving as advance warning. If you are behind the bus, you must slow down and not pass and eventually stop. If you are approaching the bus from the other direction, you must also slow down and stop when he does - if you have passed it by then, you should not get a ticket. If you recall from your driver's handbook, the only time that this is different is on divided highways.
 
tboy said:
What is it with people who break the HTA and then want advice on how to get off?

The rules state that YOU MUST STOP WHEN THE SCHOOL BUS LIGHTS ARE FLASHING!!! End of story, no excuses, no reasons, no nothing.

You should have stopped PERIOD. I mean christ, those are kids on that bus......I mean really, you (the op) probably think it's ok to blast through a crosswalk as long as the pedestrian isn't directly in your path? You probably think it's ok to run a red if there isn't any cross traffic, you probably also think it's ok to speed through a school zone after 3 pm?

You're lucky I'm not a JOP. If you showed up in MY court I'd double the fine for wasting my and the court's time.....
Click to expand...

Give it a rest. You are not the pope.
 
danmand said:
Give it a rest. You are not the pope.
Click to expand...

You mean he isn't really a former member of the Hitler Youth? That's good to know. :p
 
tboy said:
What is it with people who break the HTA and then want advice on how to get off?

The rules state that YOU MUST STOP WHEN THE SCHOOL BUS LIGHTS ARE FLASHING!!! End of story, no excuses, no reasons, no nothing.

You should have stopped PERIOD. I mean christ, those are kids on that bus......I mean really, you (the op) probably think it's ok to blast through a crosswalk as long as the pedestrian isn't directly in your path? You probably think it's ok to run a red if there isn't any cross traffic, you probably also think it's ok to speed through a school zone after 3 pm?

You're lucky I'm not a JOP. If you showed up in MY court I'd double the fine for wasting my and the court's time.....
Click to expand...

tboy,

I must admit I was about to write a post that was almost verbatim what you said, but then I read the HTA. I would appreciate your help, as I had to read it fairly quickly and may have missed another section, but this is what I found:

Duty of drivers when school bus stopped

(11) Every driver or street car operator, when meeting on a highway, other than a highway with a median strip, a stopped school bus that has its overhead red signal-lights flashing, shall stop before reaching the bus and shall not proceed until the bus moves or the overhead red signal-lights have stopped flashing. R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 175 (11).

While the HTA requires a bus driver to start the flashing lights before he stops, in my cursory read I found nothing in the Act that requires someone to stop until the bus itself is stopped. The OP indicated that when he passed the bus was still in motion, in the process of pulling over.

I will defer to others who have time for a closer read of the Act, or may try and give it a closer read over lunch, but as I say, from a cursory, the OP may in fact have a case.
 
adickson said:
Should I hire a traffic lawyer for this since it is a serious offence?
Click to expand...
Yes, ask for a consultation. If they were the yellow warning lights (if Ontario has the same) that is one thing, if they were the red lights that is another matter, it also depends upon what the bus was doing at the time, for instance had it almost come to a stop.
 
Larry_Fyne said:
The flashing lights on the school bus MUST be obeyed. The stop sign that pops out is not on every bus - if that is what you are waiting for, you are wrong. Bus drivers will start the lights flashing while they are still moving as advance warning. If you are behind the bus, you must slow down and not pass and eventually stop. If you are approaching the bus from the other direction, you must also slow down and stop when he does - if you have passed it by then, you should not get a ticket. If you recall from your driver's handbook, the only time that this is different is on divided highways.
Click to expand...

I heard you..thanks for the tips. I think the bus was flashing when I was right next to him and I could have stop yes. but just didn't want to hit the brake hard. For those think I am a crazy driver, I am not. I respect all the rules and have never got a ticket before. My lesson is if the bus slows down, I should slow down as well, flash or not. Thanks for for the replies, even those hates my guts..:)
 
Aardvark154 said:
Yes, ask for a consultation. If they were the yellow warning lights (if Ontario has the same) that is one thing, if they were the red lights that is another matter, it also depends upon what the bus was doing at the time, for instance had it almost come to a stop.
Click to expand...

No, the bus was still in the middle lane in a three lane stree so it was changing lane when I passed it. Although the red light were flashing...and I was right next to the bus at the time.
 
I believe that a conviction carries a certain number of points and the judge has no discretion to vary the points.
 
adickson said:
No, the bus was still in the middle lane in a three lane stree so it was changing lane when I passed it. Although the red light were flashing...and I was right next to the bus at the time.
Click to expand...

Can you please tell us what EXACTLY the officer wrote on your ticket for the charge (both the words, and the section of the HTA referred to)?
 
School bus drivers are amog the biggest scum bags outthere. Have you ever applied? The checks and balances are a joke,

I find a lot of these idiots put ontheir flashing lights but keep speeding downthe street. So you stop immediately and then end up passing you , wih flashing lights, like they are cops or something,

I know for a fact the protocol for bus drivers is to come to a full stop and then put their lights on.They need to check both sides and then open the doors. The are always behind so drive like mad men rushing from one pick up to another,


Are there assholes that ignore a stopped school bus? Yep.They deserve everything coming to them. But , if you stop and teh school bus is still moving towards you- what can you really do? They will violate the law and you get screwe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Toronto Escorts
Top Bottom
Back