Use of school bus warning lights

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Current law generally requires the driver of a vehicle approaching a school bus that is stopped on a highway and that is displaying flashing red lights to stop the vehicle not less than 20 feet from the bus and to remain stopped until the bus resumes motion or the school bus driver turns off the flashing red lights. Current law also requires, with certain exceptions, a school bus driver to activate flashing red lights at or before loading or unloading pupils and to extinguish the lights only after loading or unloading is completed and any person who must cross the highway is safely across. Under one exception to the latter rule, a school bus driver may not activate the flashing red lights when loading or unloading in a special loading area where the bus is entirely off the traveled portion of the highway. Under another exception, the school bus driver may not activate the flashing red lights when loading or unloading in a residence or business district where a sidewalk and curb are laid on both sides of the road, unless there is no traffic signal where the loading or unloading occurs, the person being loaded or unloaded must cross the highway, and a local ordinance authorizes the use of warning lights under these circumstances.

The bill removes the prohibitions against the use of flashing red lights in a special school bus loading area and in a residence or business district where a sidewalk and curb are laid on both sides of the road.

Who's behind it

12 senators are its authors⁠. 8 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans.

26 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.