Schools
5 State School Bus Laws You Might Not Have Known
School's almost back in session, but were you aware of these state laws on school buses?
Here are a few of Massachusetts' state laws about school buses you might not have known.
#1. Everyone knows to stop when a school bus is loading and unloading passengers, but what you may not know is that if you don’t stop, you could get a ticket of up to $250. That fine can go up to $2,000 and a suspended license of up to a year for subsequent offenses (MGL 90-14)
#2. Oh, speaking of stopping behind a stopped bus, even fire trucks, police cars and ambulances with their sirens on have to stop until the passengers have been loaded or unloaded. (MGL 89-7B)
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#3. Tell your kids to sit down, because bus drivers can be fined up to $500 if they drive the bus when the kids aren’t sitting down, or if they have more school children than seats. (MGL 90-7L)
#4. Anybody caught throwing rocks at a school bus can be fined up to $500 and be sent to jail for a year. (MGL 159-104)
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#5. Unless they’re on roads not open to other drivers, school bus drivers can’t go faster than 40 miles per hour if they’re transporting kids. (MGL 90-17)
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