Sec. 14-279. Vehicles to stop for school bus. Penalties. Written warning or summons. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 14-279. Vehicles to stop for school bus. Penalties. Written warning or summons. (a) The operator of any vehicle, motor vehicle, or authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in section 14-1, shall immediately bring such vehicle to a stop not less than ten feet from the front when approaching and not less than ten feet from the rear when overtaking or following any registered school bus on any highway or private road or in any parking area or on any school property when such bus is displaying flashing red signal lights, except at the specific direction of a traffic officer. Vehicles so stopped for a school bus shall not proceed until such bus no longer displays flashing red signal lights. At the intersection of two or more highways vehicular turns toward a school bus receiving or discharging passengers are prohibited. The operator of a vehicle upon a highway with separate roadways need not stop upon meeting or passing a school bus which is on a different roadway.

      (b) Any person who violates any provision of subsection (a) of this section shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars for the first offense and for each subsequent offense, not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both.

      (c) Upon receipt of a written report from any school bus operator specifying the license plate number, color and type of any vehicle observed violating any provision of subsection (a) and the date, approximate time and location of such violation, a police officer shall issue a written warning or a summons to the owner of any such vehicle.

      (1955, S. 1323d; February, 1965, P.A. 574, S. 21; 1967, P.A. 380; P.A. 80-245; P.A. 85-71; P.A. 86-155; P.A. 01-192, S. 3; P.A. 04-217, S. 29.)

      History: 1965 act deleted "stop signal" as alternative to signal lights on school buses; 1967 act prohibited vehicle's moving until bus no longer displays "flashing" lights; P.A. 80-245 added Subsec. (b) re penalties for violation of provisions; P.A. 85-71 amended Subsec. (a) to include reference to flashing "red" signal lights and added Subsec. (c), providing for the issuance of a written warning to the owner of a vehicle violating Subsec. (a) upon receipt of a written report; P.A. 86-155 amended Subsec. (a) to require vehicle operator to stop when overtaking or following a school bus on any highway, private road or in any parking area or on school property when bus is displaying flashing red lights, and amended Subsec. (c) to eliminate reference to "other person eighteen years of age or older" making written report and to require police officer to issue written warning or summons upon receipt of written report; P.A. 01-192 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re authorized emergency vehicle, as defined in Sec. 14-1(a)(4) and making a technical change for the purpose of gender neutrality (Revisor's note: In Subsec. (a), "subsection (a) of" was added editorially by the Revisors before "section 14-1" for accuracy); P.A. 04-217 amended Subsec. (a) to eliminate reference to Sec. 14-1(a)(4), effective January 1, 2005.

      See Sec. 14-111g re operator's retraining program.

      Evidences a legislative intent to create a safety zone within which school children can safely cross a street after alighting from a school bus. 180 C. 302.

      State is not limited to proving a vehicle is a registered school bus by a certified copy of registration prepared by motor vehicle commissioner. It could prove this element by such other evidence as it sees fit. 4 Conn. Cir. Ct. 5.