The fine for driving past a school bus displaying a stop signal has increased with the new year. Tickets for the infraction have doubled. Drivers can now face fines up to $400. Rep. Emily Slosberg (D-Delray Beach) sponsored the bill during last year’s legislative session.
“By increasing the fines we the state we’re sending a message: We realize the value of human lives, the lives of our school children," said Slosberg. "And when a driver passes a school bus, especially on the side where children are getting on and off the bus it is unacceptable and that you’re going to have to pay.”
Slosberg says she was motivated to file the bill after several recent accidents involving students hit while boarding or exiting the bus. In 2018, a Tallahassee driver struck a 5-year-old boy who was crossing the street to get on his school bus.
The change went into effect on New Year’s Day.
