Michigan Police No Longer Need To See Drivers Do This To Write A Ticket

As children across Michigan are heading back to school it's important to be aware of your surroundings and follow school speed zone laws.

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A new law being implemented is trying to protect kids who ride the bus and punish drivers who don't stop when a bus turns on its flashing lights and stop sign.

New Michigan School Bus Law Takes Effect

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the law in 2021 and it took effect in time for school buses to begin transporting students last fall. Schools can attach cameras to buses that record license plate information whenever a driver passes illegally. Police can use those images to issue a citation to the vehicle owner for up to $500.

What Was The Old School Bus Law?

Before the new law took effect, a law enforcement officer had to witness the infraction personally before they could take action against motorists or the bus driver had to record the license plate number and fill out a lengthy form for police.

Michigan Child Killed While Walking From School Bus

According to Fox 2, Earlier this year a 13-year-old boy named Zyair Harris was fatally struck by a vehicle after getting off the bus on his way home from school and later died.

What Do You Do When A School Bus Comes To A Stop?

According to a Michigan person injury office, When a school bus comes to a stop and activates its red flashing lights, drivers traveling in both directions are required to come to a complete stop at least 20 feet away from the school bus.

Drivers must remain stopped until the school bus resumes moving down the road or turns off its red flashing lights. The only exception to these rules is for drivers traveling in the opposite direction of a school bus when the lanes of traffic for motorists traveling in different directions are separated by a physical barrier or “intervening space,” such as a boulevard, which serves as a barrier between traffic traveling in opposite directions.