Anyone contested school bus violation? (Atlanta: insurance, how much, motel) - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

mjedwards409 · 10-01-2019, 06:08 AM

So my wife was shocked to see that she had gotten a ticket for passing a stoped school bus, as she is an extremely careful and attentive driver. (never even had a speeding ticket before). When we watched the video, the stop sign literally started coming out as she was even with the front of the bus. She says she remembers the incident and doesn’t remember the yellow warning lights. Even if there had been she had just come around a blind curve on a 40mph road. It’s clear from the video she would have had to slam on her brakes and likely skid to stop on time. All that said, is there any point in contesting this 250 dollar ticket in court? I read an article about Gwinnett County pondering giving people a 2 to 3 second grace period after the stop sign comes down. This was City of Atlanta which does not always have a track record of being reasonable, but this was 1/2 second max between sign coming down and her passing. Thoughts?

ATLTJL · 10-01-2019, 06:18 AM

How much is your time worth?

I was going to contest a BS ticket in Gwinnett county, so I went to court. What I didn't know, is that when you go to traffic court, that's just your arraignment. That means it's where you enter a plea. If you decided to plead not guilty, you will be given ANOTHER date for another hearing where you get to argue your case.

So...that means you have to take time off work to go to court to enter a plea (and of course, they make all the people who want to plead anything other than NO CONTEST wait until the VERY END of the session), and then go back to court on another date to actually have a judge hear your case.

If your time is relatively worthless and you don't mind going to court for 2 days, then consider whether you should go ahead and fight it. If you're like most people, just pay the $250 and chalk it up to bad luck.

atlHawks · 10-01-2019, 06:20 AM

My wife got it before in Atlanta. From what I read the tickets are sent out by a company in Phoenix, not an actual government entity in Atlanta. Some people suggested just ignoring it but she was nervous about that idea and just paid it.

Saintmarks · 10-01-2019, 06:41 PM

As a former Cobb County bus driver who saw more than a fair share of inattentive drivers, some quite brazen... and considering there isn't a vehicle with more precious cargo, pay the fine and pay more attention. A 3 second grace period? Hell no! A kid sees the stop sign and starts crossing.

What more do you need? A huge yellow bus, flashing amber lights and then a big red stop sign and red flashing lights. Sorry to say, but your wife was NOT paying attention. Pay the fine and be glad there isn't a dead or injured child because of her inattentiveness.

samiwas1 · 10-01-2019, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

As a former Cobb County bus driver who saw more than a fair share of inattentive drivers, some quite brazen... and considering there isn't a vehicle with more precious cargo, pay the fine and pay more attention. A 3 second grace period? Hell no! A kid sees the stop sign and starts crossing.

What more do you need? A huge yellow bus, flashing amber lights and then a big red stop sign and red flashing lights. Sorry to say, but your wife was NOT paying attention. Pay the fine and be glad there isn't a dead or injured child because of her inattentiveness.

"When we watched the video, the stop sign literally started coming out as she was even with the front of the bus."

If the stop sign didn't come out until she was even with the bus, how was her inattentiveness involved? Was she supposed to stop without a stop sign?

markjames68 · 10-02-2019, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samiwas1

"When we watched the video, the stop sign literally started coming out as she was even with the front of the bus."

If the stop sign didn't come out until she was even with the bus, how was her inattentiveness involved? Was she supposed to stop without a stop sign?

I imagine that before the stop sign came out and the red flashing lights were on there were yellow flashing lights?

MattCW · 10-02-2019, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markjames68

I imagine that before the stop sign came out and the red flashing lights were on there were yellow flashing lights?

Which if you're coming around a curve at speed, you may not see in time. Regardless, I've seen Atlanta buses with yellow lights on in motion, then basically slam on their brakes while immediately deploying the stop sign/red lights as in the bus wasn't even fully stopped when the stop sign came out. Buses should one, not have stops near blind curves on faster roads, and two, be required to sit stopped with their yellows on for 2-3 seconds before deploying the reds which activates the cameras.

ATLTJL · 10-02-2019, 05:43 AM

I hate to sound like an old man, but when did school buses become door-to-door transportation?

Don't you remember as a kid walking to the bus stop? It would usually be the nearest street corner, which could be 10 or so houses away. Now, it seems like school buses stop in front of each and every student's home, even if they are only 2 doors from each other. So of course there's more frustration when you are stuck behind one.

I also agree they shouldn't stop on major roads. Just yesterday, I saw one stop on Peachtree Industrial Blvd. It was a sad commentary exactly how many kids got off at the Motel 6. But the point is, if you have THAT many kids getting off there, why not pull into the parking lot, where it's much safer for them to get off AND you're not tying up traffic on one of the city's most heavily trafficked thoroughfares?

Finally, it's a huge and documented problem in my neighborhood that school buses drive down neighborhood streets WAY TOO FAST in excess of the speed limit. This appears to be when they are empty... why they are in the neighborhood, I have no idea.

Thulsa · 10-02-2019, 06:18 AM

The law was revised in 2019.
HB*978*2017-2018 Regular Session

It appears to me that the an automated camera violation does not go on your driver's record as points and it is not reported to your insurance company.
However, a record is kept and you cannot renew the registration, and you cannot sell the car in Georgia as in the title cannot be transferred until the fine is paid.

"If the Department of Revenue receives a referral under paragraph (8) of this subsection, such referral shall be entered into the motor vehicle database within five days of receipt and the Department of Revenue shall refuse to renew the registration of such motor vehicle and shall prohibit the title transfer of such vehicle within this state unless and until the civil monetary penalty plus any late fee is paid to the governing body. The Department of Revenue shall mail a notice to the registered owner of such motor vehicle that informs such owner: (A) That the registration of the vehicle involved in the violation will not be permitted to be renewed; (B) That the title of the vehicle involved in the violation will not be permitted to be transferred in this state."

samiwas1 · 10-02-2019, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

I hate to sound like an old man, but when did school buses become door-to-door transportation?

Don't you remember as a kid walking to the bus stop? It would usually be the nearest street corner, which could be 10 or so houses away. Now, it seems like school buses stop in front of each and every student's home, even if they are only 2 doors from each other. So of course there's more frustration when you are stuck behind one.

Uhhh...I don't see this at all. The bus stop for our house was 0.7 miles away until this year, and the school is only one mile away. Obviously, we didn't use the bus. When I drive to work in the morning, I see groups of kids at spots along the road, not every few houses.

For APS at least, you can pull up the route map and stops of every bus. I've done it before just for fun, and the stops were decent distances apart.