School bus stop sign ticket in CA?

Question

i was driving home when i saw the big yellow school bus on the opposite side of the road, i slowed down a bit but i wasn't sure if i was supposed to stop so i kept going. There was a cop up ahead of the road not too far from where i was i passed him & he followed me & didn't pull me over until i was almost to the top of the hill.

well the point is that i had no idea that i was supposed to stop for a school bus if i am on the opposite side of the road. when i got my fine, the total came out to be $590 with traffic school and $560 for the ticket only.

CA law states that i wouldn't be fined more than $250, but my total came out much higher than that. I didn't show him proof of insurance at the time, but i do have insurance. could that be the cause? i was also on a provisional license at the time.

i'm a broke soon to be college student and there's no way i can add $590 ontop of college tuition. i need a way to either lower the cost or fight it. if any officers can help it'd be great

Answer 1

Let me explain the fine to you.  You are correct that  the maximum fine is $250.  Mikeysco is correct that the scheduled fine is $570.  That is because in California additional charges (called penalty assessments) are added on top of every fine, which goes to things like court house contruction, night court, some goes into the general fund, etc., and they more than triple the fine.  The $570 is based upon the MINIMUM fine of $150.  If the fine was $250, you would owe $950!

While people can sometimes go to court and get a lower fine, as I mentioned above there is a minimum fine of $150, so the traffic hearing officer cannot go lower than that.  Some officers will, however, excuse the assements.  If you want to take a shot at that, you can go to court and ask if the hearing officer will allow you to go to traffic school without paying the penalty assessments.

You DO want traffic school to keep this off your record, or else your insurance increase could eat up any savings.

Answer 2

You know, I have no idea how you even got the license if you didn't know about the school bus thing.  Your fine was probably due to the provisional and no insurance as well. Take your insurance papers to court and beg the judge for leniency and pray he doesn't pull your license all together and force you to attend traffic school that too will cost you. Ignorance of law is NO EXCUSE.

Answer 3

If the road was not a divided highway, you were required to stop (as you found out).

The law covering passing a stopped school bus is detailed at the link below.

"I had no idea I was supposed to stop for a school bus" ... ""I'm a broke soon to be college student" ... "There's no way I can add $590 on top of college tuition".  Go right ahead and tell the judge all of that.  He can probably use the laugh.  

It's your job to know when you need to stop.  You'll soon be a little more broke.  If they order you to pay the fine ... you will pay it, even if you don't think you can afford it.

Answer 4

Were you cited for section 22454(a) of the Vehicle Code?  If so, then I'm not sure where you got the information that California law says you won't be fined more than $250 - the fine for this violation as listed in the 2008 Uniform Bail Schedule is $570 (and counties can vary slightly from that).

You can't lower the total cost other than to ask the court to allow you to make payments so that you can spread the total out over a longer period of time.  Last I knew, courts charged a little extra to do that.

You want a way to fight it?  Prove you stopped for the red lights you say you didn't know you were supposed to stop at.

Answer 5

Yes you have to stop regardless if the bus is in front of you or on the opposite side of the road. Even if the roadway is four or six lanes wide, you have to stop no matter what lane the school bus is in, going or coming.

Answer 6

You're lucky your fine is that low (yes "low") and you didn't lose your license.